The Medallion
by Midnight-Apple Blossom
Summary: When Zelda Harkinian is sent on a simple mission, she doesn't expect to be kidnapped- least of all by Link Finlay, which whom she shares a mysterious past. Together, they discover a giant secret and find not everything is as it seems. Present day AU.
1. Chapter 1

**_The Medallion_**

_By Midnight-Apple Blossom_

_Chapter One_

"Get in a little closer!" I yelled over the roar of the plane's engine. The pilot steered the little craft downwards, and I had to grip onto the sides to keep from falling into the dense jungle below. Behind us flew five other planes identical to ours, each containing four men with parachutes. I saw the old, ruined castle and prepared myself to jump out of the plane.

Okay, before we get _too _much further, I have to introduce myself. My name is Zelda Harkinian. And yes, Harkinian is the name of the Royal Family of Hyrule.

Yes, I'm a princess. Yes, I'm about to jump out of a plane on a secret mission in order to retrieve some medallion. I don't actually know much about it, just that I'm supposed to get it. And no, it isn't that out of the ordinary. I'm the princess and therefore A Big Deal, but who is better suited to retrieve an artifact and keep quiet about it? I'd had special training since I was old enough to walk, first from my mom, the queen, but after she died I had had other tutors. I knew my stuff.

"Zel, you need to get this medallion," Sheik, my brother, had told me over last week's breakfast of cookies and cream Pop Tarts. Well, that was _my _breakfast. Sheik had had the traditional breakfast of bacon and eggs, as if that mattered. Just saying.

"Okay," I had responded, looking at the photograph, committing it to memory. It was fairly simple. The medallion was on a gleaming silver chain. The medallion itself was made of solid metal and twisted into the form of a phoenix, its wings outstretched, flames licking out from it. "Cool design."

No-nonsense Sheik had responded, "Just memorize it and retrieve. We know exactly where it is. This shouldn't be too hard."

"Okie doke," I'd responded, wolfing down my sugary meal. "What's so important about this medallion, anyway?"

"It critical that you retrieve it,. It is of the upmost secrecy."

"Yeah, I get that. But why is it so important?"

"It is a matter of national security. I can't tell you."

While it was annoying that Sheik was sending me on a mission that I knew virtually nothing about, it wasn't really that unusual. Even though I'm a princess, they don't always trust me with important stuff. Sheik gets to know because he's older and more mature than I am. He's also a Big Deal, because he's a prince and will inherit the throne when my father croaks. I think he'll do a good job, even if he is kind of… well, annoying in his superiority. He's really condescending sometimes.

Nevertheless.

"Ready, Princess?" the pilot called to me, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Yes!" I shouted back. I watched carefully until we were directly over the ruins before jumping out of the plane. My parachute exploded all around me. I carefully steered my way around the trees, narrowly avoiding them. I was feeling pretty proud of this, considering I had just managed to land in a forest _without hitting any trees_, when I suddenly jerked and looked up. "Ah, damn."

I had spoken too soon about the whole not-hitting-anything thing. I pulled my knife out of my thigh sheath (I'm a bad ass, I know) and cut the cords. The drop wasn't too high, only about five feet. I landed on my toes with catlike reflexes, keeping my dagger at the ready. I looked around, checking for all the signs of life. There was none. I was totally alone.

Moments after that thought ran through my head, one of the Royal Guard members dropped beside me. Then they all came out of _nowhere_, suddenly _everywhere_, like ants. There were at least twenty, probably more.

"Area secure," one of them reported.

"I could have said that," I muttered. "I _did,_ actually."

"Everyone is clear on the mission, correct?" barked the leader, Agent Fox. He's also a bad ass, and happened to be in charge of this particular mission. "The Princess will go in and retrieve the medallion. We will follow and make sure nothing bad happens. We're the good guys, remember?"

At that, a few of them chuckled nervously. However good we were at what we did, one couldn't help but be nervous before occasions like this.

"Alright, move out!" shouted Fox. We obeyed.

One of my tutors had been Sheikah, and had tried to teach me their way. According to Sheikah law, she could only give away so many secrets, and I wasn't very adept at learning them because I had zero amount of Sheikah blood running through my veins. But I tried to keep with the principle.

_I am a shadow. I am one of the shadows, flickering about, always following, but without being seen,_ I thought to myself. I tried to become a shadow as I scampered into the old ruins noiselessly.

It was very dark inside and it smelled like mold and blood. The blood smell was ominous, especially considering the Deku had inhabited this castle before it was destroyed in an earthquake a hundred years or so ago. The Deku were and always had been a peaceful race, and I did not know why it smelled like blood.

Maybe I was imagining things.

I crept along, willing my eyes to see through the dark. Was that a small patch of light over there? It couldn't hurt to check. I sneaked along towards where I had seen the white light, my hands in front of me like a blind person. When I touched the smooth, cool, stone wall, I did not jump or let myself be startled. I touched all around and realized I had come to a corner. I looked up and saw a tiny hole above my head, where the light was spilling in through. I touched my hands to the top of the rock and pulled myself up through the hole, landing on the ceiling above.

This room was easily illuminated because a large part of the wall had been knocked out, letting daylight fill the room. The floor was hand painted with foot-by-foot black and white squares. There were vines crawling on the walls, and I saw a snake disappear over the edge to the outside. There was a wooden door on the other side of the room. I stood up, seeing nothing else worth my time in the room. I silently walked to the door and opened it. It creaked loudly, and I jumped when it fell off of the hinges and landed on the ground with a bang. I looked around, but I hadn't appeared to scare anything but several spiders that had been hiding and were now skittering off in all directions.

I passed through the door and into another room similar to the last, but wider. I walked over to the open wall, placed my hands on the broken edges, and peered out into the forest.

I wouldn't mind living in the woods someday, when Sheik was king and I was free to do whatever I wanted. I loved trees. I always had. Unfortunately I'd grown up in the boisterous city of Hyrule Castle Town. I had always had cars and bicycles and people everywhere to turn, and sometimes solitude was nice. I was just thinking about how quiet and peaceful it was out here when I heard the first cry, followed by a gunshot.

Gunshot? This was supposed to be a simple mission!

I fought back the initial wave of panic before focusing. It was still my mission; it had just gotten a little more complicated. There were just some people here that didn't want us to be here.

But the Deku were a peaceful race. They didn't use guns. _So who is it?_

I could hear the gunfire going on beneath me, and shouts going on as well. I knew what I had to do. I had to find the medallion and get out.

I raced through another door, and found only another room identical to the others. I continued running from room to room, seeking and not finding. I started to get a little panicky when I came to a window, an actual window this time. The window overlooked a small courtyard with what looked like a trapdoor, several pillars, and vibrant flowers. The courtyard was well tended to, the flowers flourishing. Red and gold fish swam in a little pond with lilies on it. The longer and longer we stayed, the more and more I suspected that this place was not as abandoned as I had been led to believe.

I quickly scanned for a way to get down into the courtyard. I spotted an old rope ladder and quickly calculated my chances of making my way to it. Firstly, the ladder was far away, and I wasn't sure how to get there. I had no map or any way to know the layout of the place. Secondly, there was no telling how old the rope was. It could break instantly, sending me crashing into the ground.

Before I had time to think of another option, I heard the second door I had come to crash down, and the shouts and gunshots suddenly grew much louder. My heart jumped in my chest despite that I had been raised to not feel fear. I decided to spider monkey it.

To be honest, I don't really know what a spider monkey is, or what it does. I just know that's what Sheik and I called this particular Sheikah method that we had been taught. The Sheikah were known to be able to climb vertical walls without any handholds, amazing and stunning every witness to it. Truth be told, there was _always_ a handhold, whether or not it was clearly visible. No wall was totally perfect. There was always a way. At least, that's what I had been taught.

I realized quickly that this was true for this particular situation. Not everyone would have been able to do it, but I managed. The wall was chipped and had pieces missing from age. I put my hands and feet in these small holds and spider monkeyed my way down the side of the wall, dropping gracefully in the beautiful courtyard.

There were fallen pillars and old trees lying about. I was able to more closely see the flowers that grew along the walls and on the edges of the pond. The flowers were a wide variety of pastels, along with a hot pink flower that I couldn't help but pluck and tuck in my ear.

This is why Sheik doesn't like to give me super-tough missions. I mean, he does, but it doesn't particularly thrill him to do it. He doesn't like how I characteristically "dink around". I think he just needs to take a chill pill. You only live once.

I did notice that there was an unusual grouping of flowers by the pond. They were all an ugly shade of brown, with wide petals that I hadn't seen in any botany class before. I curiously touched it, before realizing where I was and taking off sprinting again towards the trapdoor I had seen before. I threw it open and jumped down inside, closing the trapdoor over my head. I nearly screamed when I saw the lion.

I nearly screamed again when I realized someone had decapitated it and left its disembodied head lying on the ground away from it. Someone had already been here.

As disconcerting as this thought was, I kept my dagger at the ready and proceeded through a door.

The underground chamber was much more high-tech than the ruins above. As I entered the second room, I noticed a Dell computer sitting on a desk. I shuddered. My laptop at home happened to be a Mac, and as you know, once you go Mac, you never go back.

Like with the pink flower, I just couldn't help myself. I walked over to the computer and realized it was on. Someone had indeed been here, recently too. There was a glass of some kind of ominous pink liquid inside. I made a face and sniffed it. It smelled like strawberries. I took a tiny sip and realized that it was strawberry flavored soda. Putting the glass down, I moved the mouse around on the computer, waiting to uncover some kind of terrible secret that I had been trained for…

Instead, I found the home screen of Runescape.

What in the hell was going on around here?

Leaving the computer alone, I pressed on. I went through a couple more rooms without interest. It was totally silent down here. It was illuminated with normal, modern-day lights as well. I was just beginning to wonder if the medallion was even here when I came to a large wall with the Triforce engraved into it. Sighing, I knew exactly what I had to do.

Back in the old days, whenever there were secrets or clues buried, the Sheikah (who were usually the ones who hid them in order to provide aid to the Hero of Time or the Royal Family when they needed it) would put a Triforce over the entrance. It could only be opened if the opener had proof of a connection to the Royal Family. The famed Hero of Time would play the lullaby on his ocarina, and that would open the door. For those who were actually related, it was a lot easier.

"I, Princess Zelda of Hyrule, demand entrance," I said with my princess voice, which really isn't that different than my normal voice, except for it has a lot more power and confidence. When the door did nothing, I sighed again. Although some were just that easy to open, others required more proof. I took my dagger, bit my lip, and sliced across the meat of my palm. My scarlet blood began to seep out, first slowly, then more quickly. I stepped closer to the wall and smeared my blood all across it.

It worked. As soon as my royal blood touched the stone, it parted right down the middle, making an ancient groaning as it did so. When the dust settled, I peered into the room and walked in. I knew I was safe in here because no one but a Harkinian could get in, and I was clearly the first in centuries.

There was a small pedestal in the middle with a glass case resting on top. I hoped I wouldn't have to cut myself again and was pleased when I realized it was going to be simple. I merely took the lid off and set it on the ground by my feet before looking inside.

On a red velvet pillow sat the medallion that Sheik had showed me. The medallion was a dark golden color and had been molded to show a morphing phoenix. Flames jumped from it, and dotting the flames were tiny rubies and topazes. I touched the cool metal, my mouth slightly open. It was beautiful. I picked it up and the gold chain dangled from it. I realized it was much bigger than the photo had led me to believe. It was about the width of my hand and about an inch thick, though it felt strangely hollow. I hung the medallion around my neck and tucked it under my shirt so no one could see it. Victorious, I turned around so I could get the heck out of there. I made my way back through the room, letting my dagger lead the way. I climbed back up through the trapdoor, stealing away into the ruins. I sprinted, opening door after door, trying to find a way out.

I threw one open and plunged into the room, before realizing too late that it was a very bad idea. It was totally dark, and I had run around, feeling the walls for a little bit before I heard the door shut behind me.

"Drop your weapon, princess," said a deep voice from the shadows.

I turned around, my heart beating fast against the cold medallion. I kept my dagger at the ready until I heard a metallic clicking sound of a gun being cocked.

"I won't ask you again," the voice promised me. My dagger clattered to the floor and I cursed under my breath. "Thatta girl," assured the voice. "Come with me, now…"

I didn't move.

"I said, _come with me_…"

I gasped when I felt his hand on my shoulder, and my whole body tensed. I couldn't see him, but I felt him. When he touched me, it brought back a flood of memories. The voice, which had seemed vaguely familiar before, I suddenly placed. The touch was familiar and foreign at the same time. His breath, as he embraced me from behind lovingly instead of forcefully, smelled like peppermints. His cologne reminded me of home.

"Zelda," he whispered in my ear, sending goose bumps up and down my skin. I tipped my head back onto his shoulder, feeling his hands running through my hair. "You remember…"

"How could I forget?" I whispered back. More memories came back, and the fear and loathing came back as quickly as they had left. My head snapped up, but before I could get away, I felt the cold barrel of a gun against my chin. "I could _never _forget," I hissed at him. "_Link._"

Link laughed, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door. "Come with me, or I'll be forced to shoot you myself."

"You wouldn't. I know you."

"You know I can, and will, if you don't come with me," he said, a nasty smile on his face. When had he gotten so _evil_?

Actually, I knew exactly when he had become so evil. Poor Link had crossed over to the dark side quite a while back. And I knew he most definitely would shoot me. He hated my family and me.

So, I found myself running behind him, my hand in his. Link seemed to know the layout of the ruins, and we suddenly found ourselves at a staircase, running up, up, up. We made it out onto the roof, where a helicopter was waiting for us. I desperately looked around, my blonde hair flying around me. I looked down and screamed, "FOX!" when I saw the man in charge of the mission in the courtyard. He looked up at me, and Link jerked me into the helicopter. The pilot took off, and we were in the air again.

"Sit still!" he commanded me. He pulled the seatbelt on over me, buckling me in beside him. I was pleased to notice that he didn't try to tie my hands up or anything. That won him some points. But not very many, because, you know. He'd kidnapped me, and all. Which had lost him way more than not tying me up had gained him. Why was everything so complicated when he involved himself? We flew higher and higher, and were speeding away and I was losing hope by the second.

"I'd say mission success, Oliver," Link said brightly to the pilot.

"Good to hear," said the man called Oliver. He had a thick accent that I couldn't quite place. He was rather handsome, and as I surveyed his features, I deduced he was Gerudo. As I was staring at him, the windshield suddenly shattered, and Oliver's head bowed down. Blood seeped from his head. I couldn't help it- I screamed.

"Looks like your pals are shooting us down!" Link said happily. _Happily._ This was the kind of thing he lived for. Faster, higher, more dangerous was his motto. "That's smart, considering I, the big bad wolf, have their princess kidnapped in the helicopter they are now trying to take down."

"LINK!" I shrieked.

"Alright, alright," he said, unbuckling me as the helicopter gave a violent lurch downward. He unbuckled himself, picked me up like a doll, hugging me to his chest, and jumped out of the helicopter.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

I screamed as we hurled through the air without any parachutes. We sailed down through the trees. I felt Link let go of me with his left arm, shout something, and then grab me again.

We hit the ground with so much force I was sure that every bone in my body had instantly shattered. I struggled to breathe, and found that the wind had only been knocked out of me. I gasped and got up on to my knees. Link was sitting calmly in front of me as if this were totally ordinary.

Somehow, impossibly, we were in the water. Even more impossibly, Link had seemingly conjured some kind of bubble around us and we were floating along with the current under water.

"Ah, what a normal day, defying laws of physics in every way," Link said calmly. "Jumped out of a helicopter without a parachute and lived. Now we're floating, but underwater, and we're breathing."

"Link, shut up," I said, feeling so frustrated I wanted to cry. "What did you _do_?"

"Well, I learned how to do it when I lived with the Zoras," he explained to me. "I figured out many, many things about magic in my travels. The Gorons, the Deku, they have many things to teach."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you've been traveling for the past year," I said impatiently. "You've seen everything, know everything. I get it."

"I don't know everything. In fact, I know very little things."

"The Link I knew, knew the world."

"The Link you knew is no more, certainly not me."

"Okay, who the hell are you, if you're not Link?"

"Okay, fine, I'm Link," Link said. "I'm just different."

"Please, just tell me what's going on," I said, putting my heated head in my hands. I watched the water disappear beneath us.

"I learned how to enhance my magical skills from the other races," Link told me. "They have lots of secrets that they won't share with most Hylians."

"Why not?"

"They have the impression that most of us are snobs," he said, lazily inspecting his fingernail. "But I earned their trust, and word of me spread among them. They taught me stuff. This was an old Zora technique before they evolved into having gills. They would jump from a waterfall and use their magic to create an air bubble around them so they could swim around. They could hide from the hunters just like this. No one can see us, Princess. It's just you and me down here, and we'll stay down until it's safe enough to go up for air."

"It won't ever be safe," I said venomously. "My father will search for us and he will find us."

"That may be so," he said, "but not until I've had my fun."

He must have noticed the horrified expression on my face, because he instantly started laughing. "Not like _that,_" he said. "I have no intention of ever touching you again. Not unless you want me to, of course."

"Fat chance," I said, pulling my knees up to my chest, a defensive barrier between us.

"So what have you been up to?" he said, staring at me with his clear, blue, unique eyes. I glared back, trying to channel all my hatred into him. I felt my bottom lip start to quiver and my face started to heat up, a sure sign that tears were on the way. Link knew it, too. "Aw, don't cry," he said, suddenly uncomfortable. "I hate it when you cry. You look so sad."

My lip quivered and the tears started to spill down my cheeks. He was instantly serious, and despite his earlier proclamation, he touched his weathered, tough hand to my soft cheek. He wiped my tear away with his thumb, and it was easy to imagine that we were younger, dumber, and in love again. But then I saw a shimmering, magenta fish swimming behind his head and was brought to the present again. I felt a sudden mood swing and narrowed my eyes.

"You aren't supposed to be here," I said coldly, knowing it was the most hateful, meanest thing I could have said.

It did the trick. He reeled back, taking his hand away. He wiped the wetness there on his black jeans and seemed distant again. "Yet I am anyway," he said coolly.

"Why?" I asked miserably.

"Was it easier without me? Were you free to have every guy in Hyrule at your beck and call when I wasn't there to stop them?"

"Link," I said breathlessly. I had said the meanest thing I could, and in retaliation, he had, too. "You know that's not true…"

"Yes, I know," he said sarcastically, his voice filled with hate. "We dated. I loved you from when you were seven and I was nine. We went to school together, and I was always carrying your books, holding doors for you. I was always loving you."

"Link, stop," I pleaded.

"Then when we hit high school we started dating. Young and dumb, we got engaged. I thought we were going to be together forever. I thought you loved me as much as I loved you."

"Please…"

"Turns out, you didn't care about me at all, did you?" he said, and he was suddenly very close, his face only inches away from mine. His blue eyes looked kind of crazy, and he was breathing heavily. I smooshed my back up against the bubble he had created, trying to get away from him and his craziness.

"I did, I did," I insisted.

"So why did you do it, Princess?" he asked. "Why did you find someone else as soon as I turned my back? I was gone for _one week, _and you had someone else that quickly…"

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, trying to summon my princess voice and stop my tears. Although my voice came out quivery and small, I was successful in the latter.

"Do you have the medallion, Zelda Harkinian?" Link asked me, still close.

"No," I lied.

"Are you sure? I might have to search you if I think you are lying…"

At that, I felt a bit of anger. Pink sparks jumped and a flame bit his hand. He jumped backwards.

"I dare you to try," I said, my voice strong again. "You are not the only one who has learned in the past year, Link Finlay."

He stared at me, shocked. The last time that we'd seen each other, I had only just learned I was capable of magic, and I certainly had no idea how to use it. But I was learning.

He backed off, and we sailed along in silence. After what felt like hours, Link waved his arm and we went up. The top of the bubble pierced the surface, and Link swore under his breath.

"What?" I asked, turning around. Then I saw. We had come to the waterfall. I didn't have time to be afraid as we plunged over the edge and freefell through the air. I couldn't scream. I desperately sucked in oxygen, and when we hit the water, I felt like every bone had been broken again. The impact was so forceful that Link's magical bubble burst, and we were suddenly soaked. I tried to inhale, and instead ingested a lungful of icy water. I kicked around, trying to swim, and failed. I started to sink down when I felt a hand grip the back of my black leather jacket and pull me up to shore. I felt the hand clapping on me when I landed on my knees. "Okay, okay, I'm okay!" I choked. The smacking stopped.

"You sure?" Link asked me. I turned and looked at him. He was wearing those black jeans, a green tee shirt, and a black jacket identical to mine. He had five o'clock shadow that made him look oh so sexy, angular facial bones, the bluest eyes I'd ever seen, and shaggy blond hair. The last I'd seen him, when he'd been a guard at the castle, it had been buzzed short. Now, it had grown long. It was wet, and he reminded me of a surfer.

I had forgotten how handsome he was.

"Yes," I answered back breathlessly. He offered me a hand, but I ignored him and stood up on my own. True, I'd been bad to him, but I didn't deserve to be talked down to like that. I had told him I was sorry. And he was the one who had left, not me. Goddesses knew I had never wanted him to go.

Without really thinking about it, I embraced him with full force, burying my head in his neck, inhaling his familiar scent. He pushed me away.

I tried to keep my dignity as I stumbled away. He pulled out more weapons than I realized he'd been carrying, checking each to make sure they still worked. He cursed when he realized he'd lost his gun somewhere back in the water, but was happy when he realized that he still had his dagger tucked into the sheath strapped to his ankle and his sword over his back underneath his backpack. He checked himself next to make sure he hadn't damaged himself in the fall. "Are you okay?" he asked me.

"Yes," I said automatically. I actually did feel fine, although I was upset that I was soaked. My teeth were chattering.

"You're bleeding," he said.

"I am?" I picked up my hand, and saw that it was still bleeding. "Oh. That. I had to cut myself to get-" I shut my mouth.

"I know you have it, there's no reason to lie," Link said. "Why do you think I kidnapped you? You are the Princess of Hyrule, after all. This is about the worst thing I could possibly do. They could kill me for this."

As if I wasn't aware of this.

"Let me see your hand," he said, holding his out. Reluctantly, I placed my left hand in his. He ran his finger over it, and it healed. My eyes popped, but I said no words of appreciation or awe. He didn't seem to care. He turned my hand over and looked at the back. He saw the faint birthmark that was faintly shaped like the Triforce. "Interesting."

Before I could ask just what was interesting, there was a high-pitched giggle and I tore my hand away from his. We both looked in the direction of the sound and saw nothing.

"Let's keep moving," he said uneasily. I nodded, furrowing my brow.

We made our way through the forest, pushing our way through trees. Everything here seemed strange. After awhile, I realized why. There were no sounds- no frogs, no splashing, no crickets, no birds, nothing. This scared me.

"Do you hear that?" I whispered.

"Nothing?"

I nodded. He set his full lips in a line and we kept walking.

I saw the face first. It was tanned, worn, and brown, peeping through the trees. The hair was gleaming silver and scraggly, as if it hadn't been brushed in years. When she bared her teeth and screeched at us, I saw the teeth were yellow and a good number were missing. The face disappeared as quickly as it had shown. Link unsheathed his sword, taking it in his left hand.

"Stay behind me," he commanded, forgetting that I, too, was trained. I reached for my dagger before remembering he had made me drop it back at the ruins. I could have killed him. "Witches," he said. "There are witches here. We have to be very careful. They could be anywhere."

"How many would you reckon?" I asked.

"I'd say two," he informed me. "Witches usually travel in pairs. They get crazy if they're left alone, but too competitive if there's more."

As he said that, a purple lightning bolt shot above our heads, knocking a cloth package to the ground at my feet. I shrieked girlishly when it opened up, showing a tongue and teeth and lots of blood. The witch cackled from the shadows.

"It's okay," Link said to me soothingly. "It's a trick… It's not real… They can distort things to frighten you. Just wait, it'll disappear momentarily." His words turned to be true. The bag faded from my eyes. This seemed to displease them when Link dispelled their trickery.

One of them leapt out, openly attacking Link. The witch looked crazy as she sailed through the air, her talon-like nails clawing at him. I screamed his name and he sliced at her with the sword, cutting her in half. I felt my stomach churn. On my missions, I never usually had to deal with this kind of thing. I specialized in get in, get out strategies, even though I could hold my own in combat.

The second witch howled when the first was slaughtered. It was smarter than the first. The witch hopped around from branch to branch, shooting bolts of magic at the two of us, screaming all the while. Link reached back behind him, into his backpack, and pulled out a bow and arrow.

"Goddesses, how many weapons can you fit in there?" I cried out as Link handed me the sword and prepared to shoot the witch down. His eyes traveled faster than mine, taking more in, finding more solutions. I jumped when a lightning bolt nearly hit us. Link shot blindly into the trees, and the witch stopped jumping and shrieked. He had hit her directly in the heart. She wailed and fell to the ground with a sickening bone-crunching thud.

"It's a talent," he said cheerily in reference to my question about the weapons. I stared at him incredulously. How anyone could get so excited about killing things and storing an ungodly amount of weapons in a small bag, I'll never know. "Ready to proceed?" he asked me. Shaking my head and smiling a little, I followed him into the woods.

We walked for hours, stomachs growling and feet aching. We had no food and we couldn't really stop for a break because the woods were teeming with hostile creatures, although we didn't find any more after the witches. I had no idea where we were or where we were going, but Link seemed to know, and I trusted his judgment.

It was impossible not to dwell on the past while in his presence. I couldn't believe I was with him again. I had believed I would never see his handsome face anymore. He had told me as much, and I had cried and begged him to stay, but he left. And as much as I wouldn't admit it, I didn't blame him.

What he had said earlier was true. We did know each other, and we did get engaged. I hadn't ever loved anyone but Link. My world had revolved around him. He was my sun, and I was accustomed to rotating around him, relishing in his light and warmth.

Link was good, as much as any one person could be. He went to church every Sunday, and was very involved in it. He was one of those people you could feel before you saw. He was so charismatic, so handsome, so sweet, and all the girls loved him. He did all sports in school, was class president all four years, and was always volunteering to do stuff. He was talented musically, artistically, intelligent, and yes, a good kisser to boot. I loved him. At least, as much as a teenager is capable of really loving anyone but him or herself.

Then he had to go away for a whole week on a trip with his dad. Link's father was a glassmaker, and he had to go on a business trip to the Zora's Domain to figure out a design for the glass of the new church that was being built into their castle. His father vacationed a few days, seeing the sights, meeting the royals, stuff like that. Link decided to go as well. He kissed me goodbye, and I cried the first night. It was the longest we'd been apart.

It was a stupid mistake, and I still regret it. I'm not going to pretend I was aching with agony that Link was gone and that was why I did it. That would be a lie. It was just a stupid mistake. We all make them. As wrong as they may be, I don't think I should have to keep beating myself up over it, either. I did that for the long, lonely months afterward.

Sometimes we get important people that come to stay in the castle with us for a while. Mikau Merobb happened to be an important person. Maybe not politically, but, you know. For being old, my dad has a really modern taste in music. The Indigo Go's are a pop rock band from Clock Town, and they were on tour in Hyrule Castle Town. Dad invited them to stay in the castle, where they would be safe from crazy fans that might want to show their intense love for Mikau by doing something weird, like sneaking into his hotel room and writing their names in his underwear, or something else really crazy.

I'm a big Indigo Go's fan, too, so I went to the concert with my dad. I was wearing black skinnies, heels, and a little white tank top. My hair was curled and my makeup was flawlessly done. I looked hot.

And so did Mikau as he rocked out on the guitar onstage. With his shaggy brown hair and sea green eyes, coupled with holey jeans and a tight-fitting blue shirt, every other girl thought the same thing.

That night, Mikau and I got to talking and- let's face it- drinking, and we wound up getting to know each other. _Really _getting to know each other. As if that wasn't a big enough mistake, it wasn't even at the castle. We'd decided to show our, er, enjoyment of each other's company in the public park after the concert where fans of the Indigo Go's and Princess Zelda Harkinian snapped pictures of us making out on the bench with their cell phones.

And, trust me, I caught _hell _for it. It was all over the news- Link and I were a beloved celebrity couple, engaged to be married. Photos of Mikau and me spread like wildfire over the Internet, news, and papers. Since Mikau was most popular among the Zoras, the photos spread all over where Link was, too. He called me the next night, demanding answers. I wasn't sure what to say. I couldn't exactly deny it, considering there was photographic evidence. I didn't know I really wanted to, either. I mean, cheating was one thing, but lying about it was something else entirely. When Link came home, it was awful.

He didn't believe me that I was sorry and that it had only happened once. He thought I'd been cheating for weeks, and the publicity didn't help. After those first pictures got leaked, people suddenly started all kinds of rumors. Girls insisting that Princess Zelda had slept with their boyfriends, nasty boys I'd never even met claiming I'd been with them, too.

No one listened to me. My voice got smothered among the press. People wanted to spread the interesting gossip and didn't think about how it would hurt me and my real life. I was untouchable to them. Everyone knew who I was, but no one really knew me. That was their excuse when they spread all the rumors. "_She's famous, she can handle it._" "_She's a celebrity, she's more confident than that._" No one knew that I was a virgin, no one knew that was the first time I had ever drank more than a glass of wine at my father's dinner parties with other important people. The worst one was, "_She deserves this._" It hurt because it was true.

I finally convinced Link that I was sorry and would never do it again. I convinced him we could work things out, that he didn't have to call off the engagement. He held me while I cried it out on his shoulder and promised he'd never leave.

It took him two weeks to change his mind. He showed up at the castle, his suitcase packed, and marched straight up to my room. He knocked on the door and I answered. He told me that he had meant it when he said it, but he couldn't stay. He was sorry. He was leaving.

I cried, cried, cried. I was pathetic. I was getting _married _to him, he couldn't leave, we were in _love_.

He told me that I would never have to see him again. He would never come back to me. He didn't even like me. He was leaving Hyrule and never coming back. He didn't love me. He thought I was annoying and whiny.

I went to the bathroom after he left, laying my head on the stone floor after I was done throwing up. I was literally sick after he left. I wouldn't eat. I didn't come out of my room for days. And when I eventually did come out, the only males I talked to were my father and Sheik. I wasn't interested in relationships.

A year passed like that. Eventually I became myself again, got my sense of humor back, stuff like that. I didn't date anymore, though. It wasn't hard to resist, either. I didn't have any interest in it at all.

Now here he was again, after he'd promised he'd stay away. After I'd gone through my own personal hell, he was here, in the flesh, not just in my dreams.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Get _down_!" he suddenly shouted, throwing his arm over me and dragging me to the ground, startling me.

"Link?"

"We're under attack!"

Sure enough, the arrows began raining down all around us, and we were immersed in danger once again.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

I yelled in surprise. "What do we do?"

"Duck and cover!" Link yelled back, drawing his own bow.

"Drop your weapon, young warrior!" came a deep, guttural voice. Link looked around for the source.

"Darunia?" he asked in surprise.

"Hello, brother!" boomed the voice. I looked up nervously and found Goron warriors with faces grim and challenging surrounding us. They looked like the stone in which they lived. The biggest one of all, a Goron wearing a feathered headdress, was advancing towards Link, his arms wide. Link laughed and embraced the hug. "It has been many moons since you last visited, young one," Darunia chastised, hugging Link with enough force to sever his spine. I was starting to get a little worried about Link's health when Darunia finally released him. Link sounded a little winded when he spoke.

"Indeed it has, brother," he said. "Regrettably, I stumbled here by accident. I did not mean to intrude upon your territory."

"That you did," said Darunia grimly. "You gave us quite the scare. We thought you might be some of the Royals. They have been rather aggressive lately, intruding and poking their noses where they don't belong. I would be glad if there were no Royal Family, or if there were a very different one."

"Ah, Darunia," said Link. "We are in mixed company here. We can discuss politics later."

"I see," Darunia said, seeing me crouched on the ground. "Why does this one look so scared?"

"This is Zelda, Princess of Hyrule," Link announced. The Gorons looked at me, then back at Link, then finally at Darunia. It was clear that the Gorons all felt the same way about my family that Darunia did. Darunia seemed confused as to why I, the princess, was there, but he dismissed it.

"Any friend of Link's is a friend of mine," Darunia announced, pulling me to my feet and wrapping me in a hug as well. I awkwardly patted his scaly back while he nearly squeezed the life out of me. When he dropped me, I wondered if my face was purple. Link was smirking. "What brings the two of you here?" Darunia asked, his attention again on Link. I was glad. Usually I was comfortable being at the center of attention, but for some reason I felt shy here. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the Gorons, for some mystery reason, seemed to dislike my family.

"Well, it's a long story," Link said rather sheepishly.

"You are miles and miles away from any human settlement. You will never reach your people before dark," Darunia said. As if in agreement, I suddenly noticed that the sun had begun to set. "Please, dine and rest in my city, if only for the night."

"Well, we'd be honored," Link said, smiling.

"Yes, it would be a grand service for the Royal Family," I blurbed in my princess voice. The Gorons bridled at that.

"It is not a service for your family, but for my good friend Link. You would be wise to know that," said Darunia very seriously. I gulped, my eyes wide. Link smirked a little. "Let's be on our way!" Darunia said cheerily again. "Link, I assume you know the way?"

"I do," Link answered.

"Then let us go ahead and prepare for you! We shall be meeting again soon, brother," Darunia said. He and Link did a little bow to each other before the Gorons simultaneously rolled into little balls and zoomed off into the distance, stirring up leaves all around them.

"_Why_," Link asked me when they were gone, "did you have to be all princessy around them?"

"Because that's what I was taught," I said defensively.

"Well, please don't do it again."

"Fine, I just won't say anything."

"That'd probably be a good idea."

"But before I start the whole silence thing, I have to ask you a question."

"Excellent, I love questions."

"Don't be sarcastic, it's annoying," I snipped as we continued to walk through the slowly thinning forest together. "Why does it seem like no one likes the Royal Family?"

"Well, to be honest, no one does," Link said. "Your father has been known for his air-headed decisions in the past, and your brother is a real piece of work. Not to mention everyone thinks you sleep around with every piece of meat you come across."

"Thanks," I said, blushing furiously.

"I didn't say I believed it," he said coolly.

"Do you?"

"I believe what I've seen."

"And the other stuff?"

"No. No, I don't believe the other stuff."

My heart jumped.

"That doesn't mean what you did is okay."

"I never tried to pretend that it was."

"That's not what we're here to talk about. Your question was why no one likes the Royal Family anymore," Link said, his tone professional. I sighed. "The guard has been pushing and pushing the Gorons away from their land, for one. They used to live in the mountains, where they could eat their special rocks and stuff, remember?"

I nodded. I'd learned this in school.

"They don't live there anymore."

"What? Why?"

"Well, I'm not sure that the king knows about it," Link said slowly and deliberately. "Now that Sheik's in training to be king himself and slowly garnering more and more power, he doesn't need to have your father's signature to get things passed."

"I know Sheik can make laws," I said.

"Did you know he has his own little army of men?" Link asked me, his questions like daggers. "His own secret police, if you will?"

I shook my head slowly. I had heard nothing of this.

"I don't think your father does, either," Link said. "Because we used to be close, I know your father. Some of the stuff that Sheik has passed in his name seems kind of fishy, no pun intended."

"What was the pun? Gorons don't eat fish," I said.

"Goddess, you're totally clueless, aren't you?" Link said, amazed. "How can you be so ignorant of what's going on around you?"

"Um, excuse me," I said, none too kindly.

"Excuse me, Princess," he said sarcastically. "Let me elaborate. Sheik pushed the Gorons off their mountain, so they have to live out here. He also passed legislation saying that the Zoras can't eat out of Lake Hylia, either."

"So what do they eat?" I gasped. All the Zoras ate was fish out of their lake.

"They have other ways," Link said mysteriously.

"Why are all these changes happening?" I asked.

"One can speculate," he said. "It's clear Sheik is taking more and more area for Hylians, causing resentment among the other races."

"Why do we need more land?"

"That's why everyone's resentful. You don't. But that's what power will do to you. What once seemed morally wrong won't seem as bad anymore. Those in power tend to want more and more, and Sheik is doing just that. But since people aren't moving into the territory, and it's all hushed up, we're guessing it's not just for a little elbow room."

"But what else would it be used for?"

"I have no earthly idea."

"Does it have something to do with the medallion?"

"Quite possibly."

"You know why it's so important, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"You have yet to prove your trustworthiness and loyalty, but areas where you have lacked in the past," he said lazily.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but _I am sorry_."

"The past is the past."

"So will you quit dwelling on it?"

"I forgive, but don't forget."

"_Anyway_," I sighed, annoyed. "How is it being hushed up?"

"Sheik keeps it between himself and the leaders, and tells them not to tell a soul otherwise he will lead his army in and slaughter them all and take the land by force."

"Goddesses! No wonder they hate me!"

"See, they have no idea that you have nothing to do with it. No one does. Even I assumed you were in the plot until just now."

"Well, I'm not. I haven't heard a word about any land."

"Have you heard of Project Phoenix?" Link asked the question casually, but I could tell by the way he stiffened ever so slightly that it was an important question.

"No," I answered honestly. There was a pause before I asked him what it was.

"I have no idea."

"You're lying."

"Maybe so, but I still won't tell you."

"You're driving me crazy, Link Finlay."

"Likewise, Princess."

"Would you quit calling me that?" I was really starting to get a headache from all this. It wasn't everyday you raided Deku ruins, stole an old medallion with mysterious worth, jumped out of a plane with your ex-fiancée, was attacked by witches, by Gorons, and then invited to celebrate with them. Goddesses, it had been a long day.

"Calling you Princess? Why?"

"That's not my name."

"It's your title."

"Link, you _know _me," I pleaded, whirling around to face him and grabbing him by the arms. "You _know _me. You know me better than anyone else. Would you stop being so formal like this? You know my name. I'm Zelda. Not Princess. I'm _Zelda._"

At this heartfelt little rant, Link looked me in the eyes. He was chewing on nothing the way he always did when he was nervous about something. My heart was pounding in my chest.

"I knew you once. I don't know you anymore," he finally said, turning and resuming walking. I watched him walk for a little bit before groaning in frustration and catching up. He laughed out loud.

Thankfully, we didn't have to walk much further before we found a horse drawn carriage waiting for us.

"Oh, thank Goddesses, we don't have to walk the rest of the way," Link said after catching sight of it. Allowing the gentleman in him to shine through, he helped me into the carriage and hopped in beside me. A human man sat in the front and began to steer us down a path.

"Why is a human taking us?" I whispered to Link. I didn't want to offend the man.

"The Gorons have many human employees that live in their city. They get paid to do stuff like this. There will probably be some serving us tonight at the celebration," Link explained to me. Goodness, when did he get so knowledgeable in this field? I guess when he left for a year, traveling around with the other races. I assumed that was how he knew all the stuff about Sheik. It would appear he was rather close with all the leaders now. Go figure.

We rode through the forest, riding along the winding path until the scenery changed some. As much as I loved the trees, I wasn't sure that even I could handle any more. We eventually came out in a valley. The mountains were in view, but the poor Gorons had a camp set up in the middle. It was built out of stone, miraculously tall. It resembled a mountain.

"That's amazing," I said softly. "No Hylian can build a building that tall."

"It's not just a building," Link said. "It's an entire city. And you're right. Like I've previously stated, we have many secrets to learn from them."

"Have you been inside?"

"No, last I was here, they were still in Goron City. This is all new for me, too. The Gorons are amazing architects, though, and I'm excited to see what they've created this time."

So was I. Our carriage driver took us all the way up to a small stable near the entrance to the city. There was no door, like with Hylian creations, but a stone staircase carved into the outside of the wall.

"Follow that staircase," our driver told us. "Take the first door to get inside. There will be someone there with instructions." We thanked him for the ride and followed his advice. I was panting and sweating by the time we found the door. I guess it wasn't really a door, though. It was an archway carved into the stone. We stepped inside the new Goron City and both of our mouths formed perfect O's.

The bottom of the city was bustling with activity. Gorons rolled around from kiosk to kiosk, making purchases. It was similar to a shopping mall in structure. That was how I'd heard the original Goron City was set up, too. The Gorons had all their shops suspended in the air on the levels of their city, with smooth pathways carved around the edges, little rooms off to the side where the families lived. The Gorons typically spent little time in the mountain. They preferred to roll around and race out in the wild, but it was nearing nightfall and they were all preparing to eat a giant meal and go to bed. I had a thought.

"Link, they're not going to feed us rocks for dinner, are they?"

"If they do, you'd better eat them or their dislike will only turn into hatred," he responded light-heartedly.

"Link, I can't eat rocks! Neither can you, we'll get sick!"

"That's what I thought too," he said thoughtfully as he peered over the edge, taking in all the hustle and bustle below. "But it goes down fine. It's coming out that's the tricky part."

"Oh, gross," I said, but I found myself smiling. When he looked over at me, I saw that he was cracking the first real smile I'd seen him wear since before he'd gone on that damn trip to the Zoras. But before anything interesting happened, a human servant showed up.

"Sir Link? Miss Zelda?" the girl, a mousy-haired teenager that looked about fourteen, asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Link said. I noticed the girl hadn't called me Princess. I wondered if she took the Gorons' opinion of my family, too. I wouldn't blame her. I didn't even really like my family that much right now.

"This way," she answered. "There is a shower and fresh clothing in your rooms. You can change before dinner. I will fetch you when it is time."

We followed her to our rooms. We came to mine first. I thanked her, ignored Link, and stepped inside, closing the curtain behind me. It would appear that Gorons did not believe in actual doors.

Link was right about their architectural skills. My room was delicately carved, and there was a carving of Darunia out of stone over my bed. I hesitantly sat down on it, wary of what the stone-skinned Gorons would consider comfortable, but was pleasantly surprised. I knew that Gorons didn't sleep on beds, but preferred to sleep in the hay while curled into a ball, so I assumed the Gorons had a few rooms set up for their human guests. The bed was delightful, fluffy and warm. My muscles instantly began to ache once I laid down, and I had to get up before I unwillingly fell asleep.

I noticed that I had a balcony, but I chose not to investigate that just yet. Instead, I went into the bathroom, where I found a dress folded and placed on the toilet (The Gorons had modern plumbing and showers! Who knew?). I found a cabinet filled with shampoos, perfumes, the works. I found a fluffy towel and took out some of the soap. I turned the hot water on in the shower and undressed. I stepped in, washing the sweat, dirt, and blood from my skin, letting the hot water soothe my muscles. I carefully washed my hair, taking a much longer shower than strictly necessary, just appreciating it while it lasted. There was a shocking amount of grime on the floor of the shower when I was done.

I stepped out and redressed, slipping on my dress. It was pretty in an exotic sort of way, definitely not like anything I had ever worn before. It was long sleeved and reached down to the floor, which would suck, it being in the heat of the summer, and all. I was already starting to sweat again when I laced up the front of the dress, where it snugly fit around my waist and chest, emphasizing both areas. The dress almost had a tie-dye pattern, but in stripes. The dominant color was brown with stripes of red and yellow. I looked at my reflection and smiled. Surprisingly, I was happy with it. Even though it was foreign and different, I thought I looked kind of cute in it. I quickly scrubbed my teeth with the toothbrush and toothpaste, and there came a soft voice, right on cue.

"Miss Zelda?" asked the servant girl from before. I walked towards the sound and pushed aside the curtain, meeting her. She had no reaction to my appearance. "Come with me, please."

We walked together a few rooms down, where she called for Link. He emerged. He was wearing a modern red dress shirt, black tie, and his characteristic jeans. I instantly felt a little self-conscious about my appearance. He seemed so _modern_. I felt so old-fashioned.

"Come with me, please," the servant said to him as impassively as she had to me. Maybe she didn't dislike me after all. Maybe it was just part of her job. Maybe all the servants were emotionless like that. The carriage driver certainly had fit that description. He'd been as emotionless as a ghost.

Actually, that wasn't true. At one point, the castle had been haunted. That ghost surely had had emotion. It was always angry and screaming and throwing things at Sheik. The ghost had seemed to really dislike him for some odd reason. I had never been able to figure out why anyone would dislike my brother. I was beginning to find the reasons clearer and clearer.

Dinner was fast, and Link was correct. They did not serve us rocks as I had wondered. They themselves had rocks straight from Death Mountain (although banished, they apparently had their sources, as Darunia had told us with shifty eyes), and they broke them out in celebration of Link's visit. For us, they prepared an amazing meal of strange meat and salad with some kind of flower petals in place of lettuce. I had hesitated before trying it, but had taken Link's advice by saying little and eating much. And, by the Goddesses, it was the most amazing meal I had ever eaten, although I was too afraid to ask what exactly it was. Some kinds of foreign foods were rather… exotic.

The celebration followed immediately after dinner. The Gorons turned out to be real partiers. Who would have guessed? They had a few musically inclined among them, and we wound up having a live band playing. The human servants were allowed to party too, but they stood on the corners, seemingly afraid to join the dancing. I asked Link why as we danced together to an upbeat rock song.

"I'm not sure. But wouldn't you be rather afraid of the Gorons if I weren't here to protect you?" he jibed playfully. Childishly, I stuck my tongue out at him. We bounced up and down to the song, pumping our arms in the air. I felt like a teenager again.

Well, I guess I technically was. I was only nineteen. We had been engaged when I was eighteen. That was fairly common in Hyrule. The average age for marriage was younger than most other cultures. Especially when you are the princess and you are expected to start making adult decisions.

I could tell he felt younger, too. He felt more innocent and less haunted. I could still see glimpses in his eyes where he forgot about everything that had happened between us. I desperately wished for that time again. The fast music came to an end, and I was exhausted. Thankfully, the band started playing a song with a slow tempo. Link and I awkwardly looked at each other before I extended my arms and he carefully put his hands on my waist, holding me at a careful distance from himself.

"So what is the plan now?" I asked breathlessly. I could feel sweat glistening on my face. I hoped it wasn't too obvious, or that is somehow looked like a dewy glow that you see surfer girls have in movies and commercials.

"Get out of here alive," Link told me.

"You don't think we're out of the clear?" I asked, making a face.

"Well, for the most part, yes," he informed me. "I was more or less talking about right now."

Confused, I looked around. I saw no obvious danger, but then realized what he was talking about. The Gorons were at least two feet taller than Link was, and he was at least six inches taller than me. They also were huge, distinctly boulder-shaped. When they bounced to the fast songs, the whole city shook. Now that I thought about it, I did feel a mild amount of fear at being stepped on. "I see what you mean."

I looked up at him, and there was a curious expression on his face. His eyes had a strange, inquisitive look them and were half-closed. His mouth was set in a grim line, and he was chewing the air again, as he always did when nervous. My heart suddenly sped up as I knew what he was about to do. He leaned in towards me, his mouth getting closer and closer. I closed my eyes, calming my pulse to match the tempo of the song. I felt his lips brush mine, but it wasn't really a kiss, not just yet…

"You lied, Princess," he murmured against me. At that, I pulled back. I realized he was holding the medallion in his hand. He smirked at me, his countenance stamped with smugness. I made another face as he gently took the medallion from my neck and hung it around his.

"I don't see what's so special about that old thing, anyways," I said somewhat indignantly. I wasn't really that mad about it. It was just a dumb old necklace that Sheik had wanted me to retrieve. And from what Link had told me (and for some strange reason, I still found myself trusting Link), Sheik wasn't exactly who I thought he was after all.

"Well, truth be told," Link said, tucking the medallion under his shirt and placing his hands back on my waist as we swayed to the music. "It's not really a medallion."

I stared pointedly at the lump under his shirt.

"Okay, it is, but it isn't," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you keep asking questions I can't answer?"

"Why don't you just answer them?"

"We've discussed this before."

"How am I supposed to show my trustworthiness, Link?"

He didn't answer me. I guess neither of us really knew. "Why did you leave?"

"Again, we've discussed this."

"The guard," I answered, my voice clear. "You could leave me. You could have switched jobs. Why did you leave the country and the guard and everything?"

"Your brother."

"My brother?"

"Your brother."

"I'm assuming that you're not going to clue me in?"

"He's got a nasty plan in motion that I can't say I'm a fan of," Link said, his eyes narrowing as we swayed on the dance floor.

"Does it have to do with the medallion?"

"The project is already almost over, and the medallion is critical to complete it."

"And you need it because you don't want the project to be completed."

"I need it because no one wants the project completed. Not even you. Even if you don't know it yet."

"How do you know?"

"Because no person on this earth will want this project completed," he responded ominously.

"How did you find me?"

"I wasn't looking for you," he told me slowly. "This whole thing wasn't intended." As he said "this", he gestured around to the Gorons swaying back and forth to the music. "I was after the medallion. I've assembled my own group of men who share my beliefs. My soldiers are of all races. There are Zoras, Gorons, and Hylians. No Deku. They're peaceful; they want nothing to do with our fickle political games. Anyway, I managed to locate the medallion. Unfortunately, there was a spy who stole the tip from me, and relayed it to Sheik. He did not know what day we planned to raid the ruins, though, so he had to do it as quickly as possible. My men were there about an hour before you showed up. I located the trapdoor and slew the lion for you. I got as far as the Triforce door when I realized we were going to have to wait. So I chilled out in the room, played a little Runescape, sipped my drink…"

"That was _you_?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, I got a little bored, waiting for you to show up," Link drawled. "I've still got some soda in my backpack, if you want."

"You take strawberry soda with you when you go on missions?"

"One must always be prepared," he said sagely. "Anyway, I heard the gunshots and got out of there. I hid in the shadows and watched you go in and come out and knew that you had the medallion. Then, the rest is history."

"Which leads us back to the original question. What's the plan now?"

"Destroy the medallion."

"How do you propose to do that?"

"Well, it won't be hard," he told me. "It's not enchanted or anything special like that. It's just a medallion. I just have to make sure I'm not among spies or anything before I try anything. So I have to get out of here."

"Don't you mean we?"

"I intend to drop you off as soon as I can."

"You're leaving again?" I asked, amused.

"Yes, and this time, I don't intend on crossing paths with you," he said. He seemed a little snubbed. I rolled my eyes and yawned. "It _has _been a long day," he mused. "We'd better get you off to bed. I'll walk you there."

"Are you going to bed, too?" I asked him as we left the dance floor and began making our way up through the passages of the city.

"Nah. I think I'll go chat up that servant girl. She seems sweet."

"She looks about fourteen, Link. I think that'd probably be illegal."

"A factor for consideration," he said thoughtfully. "Nonetheless, I'll walk you to your room like a true gentleman."

"A true gentleman doesn't kidnap girls and hold them hostage."

"True, true."

"You're so strange, Link," I said, frustrated. I began to nervously run my hand through my hair. "One minute you seem like you like me a lot, and then the next you seem like you hate me. You used to be all good, actually a real knight in shining armor. But now you've gone all evil mastermind on me."

"Have I?" he said. "I don't think you should make assumptions unless you know the whole story."

"So tell me," I turned, begging.

"Maybe tomorrow. We've arrived, Princess," he said, stopping in front of my bedroom door. He put his right hand on my shoulder and took my left hand in his. He brought it up to his mouth, kissing the back of my hand. "Good night," he said softly, before leaving. I stared at him for a moment, my breathing uneven, before wordlessly opening the curtain separating my room from the rest of the world.

"Oh, by the way," he said. "As evidence of my alleged evil doings, I'm not holding you captive anymore. I have what I wanted, which is the medallion, and I have no use of you."

"What?" I said, slightly surprised. We'd gone this far, and he was just going to let me go? This was good, right? So why did I suddenly feel so robbed?

"You heard me. You can leave now, if you want. You can pack up your things and leave. I'll point you on the way home," he said, his blue eyes serene. "But, there is another option. I've told you all I can for now about this whole mystery. You still want to know why I left the guard? Why this medallion is just so important? What your brother is planning? You can join me, Princess. You can go home tomorrow morning if you so choose. Or you can come with me. But you must never tell a word, you mustn't tell anyone my secrets."

I stared at him, surprised by his offer. He wanted me to be his partner in crime? Me, who he had been engaged to? Me, who had cheated on him?

"I understand if this is a bit overwhelming," he said, and his eyes showed that this was the truth. "I don't expect an answer now. But if I find that, tomorrow morning, you are gone, I will understand and think no less of you. If not, meet me by the entrance." He awkwardly paused for a moment, before tactfully saying again, "Good night." Without another word, he walked down the hallway.

I stared after him for a moment or so, before slowly reentering my room. There was a single candle that had been recently lit on the small table beside my bed. Whoever had lit the candle had also washed my old clothes, folded them alongside a white nightgown, and placed the clothing at the foot of my bed. I smiled at the Gorons' generosity and slipped on the nightgown. I set my clothes beside the bed and flopped down onto the covers. I laid there for a minute or so, and then my fingers found the delicate silver chain dangling around my neck. I played with the chain for a moment and then pulled it out. Strung on the chain was a beautiful, small, engagement ring.

I wasn't sure if Link had noticed the second chain earlier when he had pulled the medallion from my neck, but I thought not. He hadn't commented, which made me wonder, but then it was possible that he had ignored it. That seemed like something he would do.

I stared at the glittering diamond for a moment more before replacing it back under my nightgown and blowing the candle out.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

"Miss Harkinian? Miss Harkinian, are you awake?" I heard a soft female voice ask me.

"Come in," I groaned, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I saw the servant girl who had escorted Link and me around the city yesterday, with her wide brown eyes and her mouse brown hair. She was carrying a light and instantly began igniting the candles around my room. Although the Gorons seemingly believed in modern plumbing and showers, they didn't have any electric lights. I watched her do her thing, and as she did so, another servant came into my room with breakfast. "Thank you," I said courteously as she set the tray down in front of me. She nervously bowed, and then both girls left me alone. I stood up quickly and gasped when my muscles contorted angrily.

_Ouch._

Not even princesses can get into all kinds of crazy shenanigans and come out feeling like, well, a princess. And that's right. I TOTALLY said shenanigans. Boo yah.

I stretch my tender muscles and then take my breakfast tray and walk out onto my balcony. I ate my breakfast and let the thoughts mull over in my head.

According to my ex-boyfriend (and fiancée), my brother was basically an evil mastermind. As he gained more and more power, he could and was signing things with other races, pushing them off their own land to make more room for Hylians. However, this was not common knowledge. Even the king had no idea. Sheik managed this by using his secret police and paying off the leaders. But no one knew what he wanted the land for.

He was also in charge of some kind of project, to which precious few were privy. Apparently Link had stumbled upon this project, and this may have led to his decision to leave the guard and me. This project was seriously bad news, and this medallion was critical to the success. Sheik desperately wanted it to succeed; Link did not. It sounded like a fair few didn't. Link apparently had his own small army, most of which had been stuck back at the battle of the ruins.

Link had also offered to allow me to join him, or I could just go home and continue to be oblivious to all this. What a decision. Should I trust him? It was my ex-boyfriend's word against my brother's. And all of this seemed pretty far-fetched…

But Sheik _had _seemed rather distant lately, and the dislike I had received from the Gorons was evidence that they had clearly been done some sort of wrong by my family. But what? Should I believe Link and stay with him or stay loyal to my family? Upset, I stabbed my fried egg with my fork. I wanted a Pop Tart. Pop Tarts are food for the soul.

Whilst pitying for myself, I somehow found the ring around my neck again, the ring that Link had given me over a year ago. Sighing, I felt somewhat like a prisoner, even though Link had released me. I guess I'd made my choice long ago.

After finishing breakfast and readying myself for the day, I donned my now-clean clothes from yesterday and walked out into the hallway outside my bedroom. I stepped out to the edge and looked down into the bottom floor of the city, where the most noise was. I quickly spotted Link. His bright blond hair stood out amongst all the rocky Gorons. I smiled and began my trek downstairs to join him and continue our quest.

"Good morning," I said coolly to Link when I finally reached him. He turned around and raised his eyebrow half up, as if my presence was mildly amusing.

"Good morning, Princess," he responded, his vocal tone matching mine. "I take it you have decided to join me?"

"I put some thought into it," I said, "and I have decided that, yes, I would like to know more about my brother and what exactly is going on."

"Good. Answers are all that anyone wants," he said wisely, turning to Darunia. "Again, I thank you for your hospitality. Now that my companion has rejoined me, we must be setting out."

"Very well," Darunia answered, a bit sadly if anything. "But before you go, I have a secret for you, brother. You plan on going through the swamp in order to get back to Hylia, correct?"

"It is the quickest way, that I am aware of."

"I know of a quicker way," Darunia said, his violet eyes glittering. "You see, although Prince Sheik banished us from our home territory and swore to leave us forever, we were not won over by his promises. His word is like glass- beautiful and shining, but can be broken into a thousand shards with just the wrong touch. We built a secret tunnel here, so if we are ever invaded again, we can escape onto friendly territory."

"Where does the tunnel lead to?" Link asked, pleasure stamped across his face.

"It leads out into the forest, about a mile away from a Zora village. From there you can take a bus or rent a car to get to Hyrule. It is the fastest way. You are welcome to use it if you so desire."

"Thank you for your generosity, brother," Link said, a smile breaking out on his handsome face. "I think that we will."

"Excellent," Darunia said. "Let me lead the way." Darunia began walking, and with each footstep, I swore the ground shook a little. Link and I followed behind, keeping a careful distance. The Gorons had such a large body weight that a fear of being stepped on was always rational.

The first sense of foreboding was when I saw that the tunnel wasn't really hidden. The back of my mind wondered what good a secret tunnel was if the entrance could be plainly seen. I kept my mouth, though. There was no use opening it and dividing the Gorons and the Royal Family further.

"Here we are."

"Here we must part, friend," said Link powerfully. "It was a pleasure to stay with you again. Once more, I thank you for the wonderful food and company. I will be visiting again, should time and fate allow it."

"You are always welcome, brother," said Darunia, resting his giant paw on his shoulder. He smiled for a moment and then thudded over to the "secret" tunnel. He put his meaty hands on the entrance and moved the stone slab out of the way, opening up a dank tunnel. Link pulled a flashlight out of his bag and turned it on. He saluted Darunia, who returned the gesture, and then Link and I set off into the dark tunnel. Darunia closed it behind us, and then we heard a strange, extra thud and click afterwards.

"Did he just lock us in?" I asked. I saw Link's frown from the light from his hand, and took that as a yes. "That's weird. Hey, why didn't that flashlight get destroyed like your gun when we were in the water?"

"We happened to land in the Deku's river, who are a peaceful race, as I've mentioned several times before," Link explained to me as we began to walk together. I couldn't help noticing how eerie it was, despite his strong, masculine presence and the light that he carried with him. "It was the Yahweh River. Do you recognize it?"

"Yes," I answered automatically. "The Yahweh River has blessed waters. That means that it destroys weapons. It must have melted the metal on your gun or something, right?"

"Very good, you answered your own question."

"And your sword didn't get destroyed because it's been blessed, I'm guessing?"

"Right," he confirmed. "The sword has been blessed, so the water couldn't destroy it."

"Is your flashlight holy? Does it run on fairy power or something?"

"Listen to you, you sound ridiculous. Fairy power. Ha!" Link scoffed. "Nah, the flashlight's waterproof."

"Oh." I felt like an idiot. We continued walking for a while, and then Link put his arm out in front of me, stopping both of us. I narrowed my eyes. I had been prepared for this through training. We had both heard a sound, a distinct thumping. I felt the familiar twinge of fear, and I just couldn't help myself. I gripped Link's arm as we walked towards the sound. He shined his flashlight along the wall and we saw it- a metal door, out of place in a dirt tunnel. It seemed that everything grew still around us. The sound of our breathing and footsteps and even the thumping seemed to be sucked out of the air around us, leaving just the sound of our somewhat rapid heartbeats. Link motioned for me to step back before slowly reaching out and twisting the knob on the door.

It wasn't even locked. He flung the door open and light spilled out of the room. We could see the silhouette of a man standing in the doorway. I fought back a scream. The man was wearing torn, dirty, clothing, stained with blood. His skin was a dark gray, almost the color of stone. His eyes were yellow and sunken in. His hair grew sporadically in patches, and his mouth gaped open, his jaw slack. A few seconds elapsed with us staring at him and him staring at us before he leapt on Link and the flashlight fell to the ground. I screamed, and a moment later another creature leapt on me, tackling me to the dirt. I struggled to remember my training, but all I could sense was the horrid, wretched smell, the saliva dripping from the mouth, the awful moaning as it placed its teeth on the warm flesh of my neck…

The next thing I knew, it had been knocked off me with a wild scream of surprise. I looked up and saw Link standing over me, his eyes wild with rage, his sword drawn. He seemed to glow with a white light. He looked like an avenging angel.

Just as the thing lunged, Link brought the sword down, cutting it cleanly in half. It fell to the ground, screaming. Black blood pooled around it.

"Zelda! Run!" he shouted at me, turning. More of the creatures were flooding out of the room that we had found, and he was fighting them off as much as he could, but there were simply too many. They had amazing agility and strength, and even Link, one of the greatest warriors of all time, didn't stand a chance.

It was a good thing that I was trained in combat, too.

I leapt to my feet, landing cleanly. I saw that one of the felled creatures had been wielding an iron bar, and I seized it and began attacking as well. I used every maneuver I could think of, harming, hitting, killing everything I came into contact with. When it was all over, I turned around and looked at Link. He was filthy, covered in dirt and sweat and blood. He was panting, and his hair was sticking up. I will always remember how disgusting he was at that moment, yet how _beautiful _he looked at the same time. He was my Link, and always would be. The way he was looking at me then showed me that he was thinking similar thoughts about me.

"Zel," he whispered, his voice cracking on the single syllable. I smiled a little, unwilling to believe. I touched his filthy cheek with my hand. The moment lasted only a moment before being cut off by a shriek as a tiny creature launched itself from the back corners at Link, latching itself onto him like a disgusting form of a piggyback ride. It then sank its teeth into his shoulder, and Link screamed in agony. I watched in horror as Link whipped the thing off of him and threw it to the ground. It crunched sickeningly, and Link raised his sword, ready to kill it.

"Link, no!" I cried, and he paused, looking at me as if I'd lost my mind. "Link, it's only a child. And it's dying anyway." Indeed, the thing looked as if it were no older than eleven years old. It was crawling around in circles, panting and crying out pathetically. It had received some sort of injury in battle and was pouring out black blood. It collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. It made a rattling sound with every inhalation. Link stared at it for a moment more before dropping his sword and pinning it down to the ground.

"Zelda, take its pulse. Right now. You'll never believe me if you don't," he said. Without questions, I bent down and squeezed the thing's wrist, where I knew you could measure the pulse exactly. The flesh, riddled with open sores that I knew had not been received in our short skirmish, was as cold as ice. There was no pulse, and as impossible as it was, I knew that was what Link had wanted me to feel. I looked down at the thing, still writhing and dying but very much alive, and wondered how a living thing could have no pulse. Moments later, it collapsed and took its final, rattling breath. Link and I stared at each other for a long moment before he gasped in pain. "My shoulder."

"Come into the light," I said nervously, leading him into the room, which was strangely illuminated by light bulbs. I stepped in first and scanned it for anything, but found nothing. We had killed all of whatever the creatures were.

"There is alcohol and cotton swabs in my pack," Link said to me, his voice quiet and shaking. "You have to disinfect it."

"This is going to hurt," I said, removing what he had asked me to. I wet the swab and he attempted to remove his shirt. He gasped in pain, and I helped him. I threw the shirt onto the bloody ground beside us, and he sat down. I sat behind him, so I could view the bite properly. It was deep and oozing scarlet. The area around it was a greenish color that turned my stomach. "One… two… three," I said, applying the wound with the alcohol on three. He winced but made no noise as I spread the disinfectant all over the wound, cleaning the blood away. This was a tricky task, as it kept coming and coming. It was a deep wound.

"Any more surprises?" Link asked wryly, his voice thick.

"Just one," came another male voice as Sheik stepped into the room. My mouth dropped open.

"_Sheik_?" I said. "What are you doing here?"

"You know that will do him no good, don't you?" he asked me, staring at the alcohol. He directed his attention back at Link. "I know that you do."

"Hello again, Sheik," Link answered back, his voice suddenly very strong. I set the alcohol on the ground and started to walk to Sheik, but Link said with authority, "Stay where you are." I froze. Sheik laughed.

"Look at you, heeding his every command again," he goaded me. Ignoring Link, I walked towards my brother, outstretching my arms to embrace him. He stepped away. "Don't touch me, you are covered in blood."

"Sheik- the mission- people were there," I struggled to explain. "His people- he captured me-"

"You think I don't know that, foolish girl?"

"Don't call me that, I'm your sister," I said, backing away from him, towards Link. This caused Sheik some mild amusement, and I made a face. Link had been right after all.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked stonily. "How did you get in?"

"Darunia allowed me in, of course," Sheik said casually. My mind was reeling. Darunia had known about this? He had betrayed us?

"The Gorons didn't build this. You did," Link said. "I wondered once I had seen the metal door. The Gorons don't usually make doors. They usually just have open archways. Doors are human tools. But why did you build this here?"

"So he could hide those things, obviously," I spoke up. "That's what you want with the land, don't you? It's for these things."

"Very good. But dear me, don't blame Darunia too much. He had no choice. I forced him to allow me to build a tunnel to his new city, so if the need to expand ever came again, I would have direct access to his people. He knows nothing of this room. The Gorons, although prone to frequent bits of animalistic behavior, do sometimes make wise choices," he said harshly, his white teeth gleaming under his smile as he smiled at me. "How much do you know? Has he told you everything?"

"Actually, no," Link answered. "I kept my promises."

"Interesting," Sheik answered. "I guess it's up to me, then. Do you know what a ReDead is, sister?"

"Back in ancient times, ReDeads were reanimated corpses. They were mindless and had a shriek that could paralyze a man, if only temporarily. They would latch on and suck the life away from a man," I said, recounting my lessons. "That couldn't be what all those were. The ReDeads disappeared after the King of Evil fell."

"Ganondorf used the ReDeads to carry out his commands," Sheik told me in an oddly reverent tone of voice. I found myself taking more steps away from him, towards Link. "Can you imagine a more perfect army? An army that can't feel pain, an army that can't feel fear? An army that has no thoughts for himself and would willingly die for his master? That was what the ReDeads were like."

"They are extinct," I stated, dread beginning to prickle at my toes. I did not like where this conversation was going.

"For how long?" Sheik asked, raising a perfect blond eyebrow. I stared at him in horror. "Project Phoenix. What do you know about it, Finlay?"

"Everything," Link said coolly. "I stumbled across it one night when I was patrolling. It was similar to this, but only two of the ReDeads. I killed them both, and found a file. Instead of finding my superiors-"

"Imagine my surprise when I came in to check and found my sister's fiancée snooping in my personal files," Sheik sneered. "Tell her. Tell her what you know about it."

"Project Phoenix," Link said, his voice and face like flint, "was a series of failed experiments conducted by your brother to create the perfect army, basing the soldiers on the ReDeads of legend. He attained corpses from the morgue, and used a series of drugs on them. Eventually, he and his scientists found just the right combination. He figured out how to raise the dead."

_This isn't possible. This can't be happening, _I thought, rubbing my temples. _Not Sheik. Not my brother. Not like this._

"_Failed_ experiments?" I asked.

"Failed," Link confirmed. "Sheik could never find the right drug. There was always something wrong with the ReDeads. The ones we just came in contact with. What made them defeatable?"

"They weren't smart," I said slowly. "They were fast and strong, but their tactics were weak."

"Easily stoppable," Sheik breathed. "Isn't that every general's dream, an unstoppable army? And I found it, didn't I?"

"But not the right drug," I said. "The ReDeads you created were very stoppable. It took only minutes."

"My scientists narrowed down what the drug needed in order to be made perfect," Sheik told me, folding his hands behind his back and walking towards me. I stepped backwards, and I heard Link get to his feet and come between us. Sheik observed this with mild amusement. "The drug could be found only in the Deku kingdom. This presented a bit of a situation, because the Dekus would not surrender it easily. So we had to send someone good, someone oblivious, someone who could keep a secret without blabbing or asking questions. Someone like you."

He smiled at me, an evil smile. I emotionlessly said, "You sent me to collect the drug for you."

"The flower that makes it is also extinct, but there was some of it hidden, leftover from the ages when the Deku King used to feed it to his servants to make them faster and have longer staminas," Link said. "The medallion is not a medallion. If you open it, there is a small vial inside with the last of the drug."

"The drug, fortunately, can be replicated," Sheik said. "My scientists merely need a sample in order to do so. And that sample lies dangling from Link's neck."

"You can't have it," I said through my teeth. "You're sick and disgusting. These people- they wouldn't want this- the sores- the moaning- they hurt."

"They can't feel pain," Sheik said harshly. "They are too stupid."

"I don't believe that for a second," I said, remembering the way they screamed as Link's sword slashed through their diseased flesh. Maybe they weren't smart enough to run from pain, or try to avoid it, but there was not a doubt in my mind that the child ReDead had agonized for the last few moments of its short life. "And the bodies? Where did you get them? Did you collect them all from the morgue? You couldn't take that many without being noticed. You had to kill some to get them, didn't you? What about their families? Would they want this?" The words came out like a flood, each one tinged with poison. Sheik had but a simple rebuttal.

"I don't need your approval. I do, however, need the drug. And you will give it to me. Although you, sister, may be blissfully unaware of my creations, your companion knows everything," Sheik said, smiling evilly at Link. "You know what leverage I possess. Meet me at the castle before sundown, and trade me the drug for the antidote. If not, you know your fate." With that, he turned to leave. I jumped out from behind Link to touch him, but Sheik threw some sort of firecracker at the ground, which exploded at his feet in a blinding white light. I stumbled backwards, and Link caught me. When I looked up, Sheik was gone. I turned and looked up at Link.

My voice shaking, I asked, "What is he talking about, Link? Antidote for what, the bite? Will you get sick?" He shook his head slowly. "Then what?"

"I read in the file," he said, his voice sounding pained, "That although the bites are not contagious, the ReDead saliva is highly toxic to humans. The saliva cannot be passed through the skin, but through the blood, commonly through a bite."

"What happens if we don't get the antidote?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Sheik did several experiments of ReDead bites on humans, and each had the same result," Link said, the words like daggers. "Each one went through hours of agony. Some killed themselves from it. The ones that didn't commit suicide, though, all died exactly twenty four hours after the time they were bitten."

* * *

><p>AN: Remember to review, people. Reviews make the world go round =)


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

"Well get up, then, we have to hurry!" I said. "We have to get to the castle quickly!"

"No, Zelda," Link said, staring at me calmly. "We can't. He can't get the drug. You've seen what will happen."

"You can't be a hero, Link," I said coldly. "Sometimes we have to make mistakes to get to the end goal. If you die, he'll get the drug some other way, and who will be there to stop it?"

"This is the last of the drug in the entire world," he explained to me. "I was taught to die for my country. This is bigger than Hyrule, Zelda. He's right about the unstoppable army. If he gains one, do you think he'll stop his quest for domination here? This concerns the whole world. These things are easy to create. All it takes is one simple injection and the results are instantaneous. What we're going to do is destroy this drug and eliminate chances."

"Where else can we find the antidote?"

"Considering that Sheik's scientists are the only ones who know of the hazards a bite can create, they are the only ones who have the antidote."

"Link, listen to me," I said, taking his hand and looking up into his face, pleading. "There's nothing we can do. Do you really think that they're not watching us right now, at this very moment? Do you think that Sheik would take the chance we might destroy the drug? No. He's just taunting us. If we try to get rid of it, do you believe they won't jump out and kill us both and take it for themselves? He's not bargaining. He knows he'll win. I know my brother, and he doesn't take chances. If he doesn't get it, he'll kill us both. I'm guessing that we're the only ones who know about this whole thing, right? You probably didn't share this with any of your comrades?"

Link was silent.

"If we try to destroy it and they kill us, who will stop it? No one. That will ensure the destruction of Hyrule." I didn't dare say "world". That just seemed a little too dramatic, despite the events of the past twenty-four hours. "However, if we make the trade, you will be healed to fight another day. You said he has to plant the drug, re-grow it? That will take time, Link. That's time we have to come up with another plan, a better plan. Time to find some better allies. So let's go. Let's make the trade." I had always won most of the battles when we were dating. Because, you know, the fact that I am the girl and inherently dominant. And from the defeated look in Link's face, it appeared I had won again.

"Come on," I continued. "You can die an angsty, melodramatic death some other day." I tugged on his arm, and he willingly allowed himself to go along with me. Smirking, I led the way down the tunnel.

We didn't get far.

"Slow down," he asked me. I felt him slow and lean against the wall. He placed his head against the dirt and breathed.

"Are you okay?" I asked, panic coming again. How long had it been since the bite? I knew that the worst came a day later, but how long before the side effects set in?

"The venom in the saliva," Link said. He appeared to be struggling to stand. "It transfers into the blood and damages the platelets. It makes wounds impossible to seal back over and the bleeding to stop."

"You're dying again?"

"Of blood loss, yes," he answered back.

"What can we do?"

"There are some bandages in my backpack. Try and tie them over the bite. Tightly," he added. I had shouldered his heavy pack after we had left the room. It had hurt him to try and pull the strap over his wounded shoulder. I began rifling through his pack, carefully avoiding the random weapons and medical supplies inside, before finally extracting the bandages.

"It's dark," I commented. Using his good arm, Link shined the light from the flashlight as best he could on the wound. It was in an awkward place, but I think I did a decent job of wrapping it. "Ready?" He didn't answer, but did the masculine grunt thing, which I took as a yes. We set off again down the dark tunnel, not speaking. Alone in my thoughts, I was free to fret about what was going on. Sheik had indeed been doing foul things that my father was blissfully unaware of. He had been kicking other races from their ancient lands and testing his nasty experiments in the new territory. He wanted to create an unstoppable army, with which he could take over the rest of the world. He was damn near succeeding in it, but for we had the drug necessary to make the project work. And he was willing to trade the drug for the antidote necessary to save Link's life.

Wow, was this getting complicated.

Not to mention that Link's decision to leave the guard (and me) now seemed very shady. I would have to needle some more information out of Link later, when he was feeling up to par. I tried to ignore how he continuously slowed down, his breathing getting louder and louder. Each laborious pant was like a cold knife to my stomach and each pained moan twisted it. I had to hold his hand, leading him, otherwise I was afraid he would fall and lose his way.

When we came to the end of the tunnel, it felt like hours had gone by. Each step had been painful, as if stepping on white-hot shards of glass. I had to use all my body weight to force open the heavy door, allowing white light to spill in from the outdoors. "Link! We're here! We're almost home! Just another mile!" I said excitedly, stepping outside. He followed. I almost screamed when I saw him.

Link was covered head to toe in blood. My bandage had not appeared to have worked at all. It was drenched scarlet. Link's bare chest was covered in the sticky liquid. It almost looked like war paint. His eyes were distant and hazy.

"Just lay down, love," I said gently, tears starting to well in my eyes. I blinked them away. "Come on… Just stay here…" I found a bush that he could hide behind. He listened to my advice, lying down where I gestured. I tried to find something to redo his bandage with, but I had used all the spare cloth the first time. There was nothing more I could do. "Just hold on, I have to leave for awhile."

"Don't leave me here," he begged, his voice weak. "Zelda… my friend…"

"I'll be back," I promised, tearfully kissing his forehead. I slipped the medallion from his neck and placed it around mine. It was now as blood-soaked as he was. Before he could try and talk me out leaving again, I turned and sprinted as if the devil himself were chasing me. I knew where exactly where I was in position to the nearest village that Darunia had told us about. I had prided myself in training for the ability to run a five-minute mile. If someone considered a five-minute mile running, then I flew to the village, the image of Link lying helpless and bleeding burned on the inside of my eyelids.

As the village came into view, I began to lose my confidence. While I knew the general geography of the area, I had no idea where the nearest doctor was. I was forced to run from person to person, frantically asking where I could find a doctor, before a kind soul eventually pointed me in the right direction. I burst into the office, startling the receptionist behind the desk. She had lazy eyes and seemed half-awake.

"I need to see the doctor!" I exclaimed, slamming my hands down onto the desk for emphasis.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked, her tone monotonous.

"No! I _have to see her_! It's an emergency!" I said wildly, gesturing to the bloody medallion around my neck. When the receptionist's eyes fell upon it, they widened.

"One moment, please," she said. She was very speedy- the doctor, a slim woman with blue eyes and fair skin, seemed ready for action.

"Please, ma'am, we have to go! We need a car, we can't get there fast enough on foot!" I said. "He's bleeding, there's so much blood… He needs help! I left him a mile away. It's off road, it has to be a sturdy car!"

"It's a good thing I have a Jeep," she said heroically. "Let's go."

So we got into the doctor's Jeep and I guided us out of town and to the place where I'd left Link. The ride was bumpy and scary- the doctor drove like a maniac- but we got there quickly. It struck me odd that she didn't ask questions, but then again, the situation had escalated so out of control so fast that I didn't have time to question her methods.

"Here, here!" I said. She stomped on the brakes, nearly sending us both flying over the dashboard. I leapt out and sprinted to where I had left Link. He hadn't moved. "I'm back, I'm back honey…" He didn't answer me.

"Goddess, what happened?" the doctor asked, bending over him. She had brought some kind of first aid kit, and she immediately began working on his shoulder, trying to clean the wound before she applied the sutures. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to answer (what could I say, he was attacked by an ancient zombie of legend? Not likely!), so I continued murmuring words of comfort to Link, who was awake and attempting to answer me. I also studied the doctor, whose name I shamefully realized that I had neglected to ask. The doctor was a slim female whose pale skin and blue eyes suggested she was of Zora descent. Her soft hair was standing up in parts and looked as if she had not run a brush through it. She consistently shook a little and had since I had first seen her. I suspected this was normal and not just due to nerves.

"Ma'am, what's your name?" I asked awkwardly, stroking Link's gorgeous hair.

"Ruto," she said absent-mindedly, beginning to stitch the still bleeding wound on Link's shoulder. "My name is Ruto."

So she _was _of Zora descent. Ruto was a traditional name among the Zora, just as Zelda was among Hylians. There had been an ancient princess named Ruto, and it was fairly common name.

"I'm Zelda," I said.

"The princess of Hyrule?" Ruto asked, turning to look at me, her eyes wide. I nodded, blushing. "I didn't know I was in the company of royalty!" When I didn't say anything, she continued to stitch him up, before tying a clean, white bandage over the area. "He'll be okay," she informed us, "but he's lost a lot of blood. We have to get him to a hospital and hooked up to an IV."

"I have to get to the castle," he said, his words firm although his voice was weak. "There's not an option. We _have _to get there. Tell her, Zelda."

"We mustn't stop," I said to Ruto, my eyebrows knitted together. "Isn't there another way?"

"I suppose if the princess of Hyrule insists, we can work something out," Ruto said, looking doubtful. "Let's stop by my office. Come and help me load him into the back seat." Ruto and I each helped Link to his feet. I slung his arm over my shoulder and helped support him. Ruto opened the door as Link and I walked to the vehicle. I crawled beside him, and he put his good arm around me, hugging me to his bare chest. Although anyone else would have been totally grossed out, I didn't mind that the blood on his chest began to smear into my clothing.

"I love you, Link," I blurted to him as we began to drive back into town. He looked down at me, amusement in his eyes briefly flashing over the pain. _Ohmygoddess. What did I just say?_ Link didn't answer me back, and I looked away in embarrassment. I felt his lips touch my hair, and then he pulled away from the brief kiss. I smiled to myself despite the fact that he was sitting beside me, venom coursing through his veins.

"Eat this," Ruto suddenly said, tossing a Nutty Bar over the back seat to us. I caught it and stared at it for a moment before unwrapping it. "It will help him produce more blood to replace what he lost." I handed the candy to him, and he ate it like a starving animal.

We finally made it to the office and Ruto ushered us inside, where she quickly brought us one of those IV's on a rolling stand. She inserted the needle into his arm and the nutrients began to drip directly into Link's arm. I looked at the bandage and was relieved to see that the blood hadn't started to seep through like it had before.

"Dr. Ruto, can you help us with one more thing?" I asked, rubbing Link's good arm. "Can you please give us a ride to the castle?"

"Of course, Princess," she said. "Just let me tell my receptionist."

"You don't have to call me Princess," I said quickly. "Just Zelda is fine."

"All right, Zelda," Ruto said, winking at me as if she were in on some kind of important secret before disappearing to inform her receptionist. I stood by my earlier hypothesis that Dr. Ruto was a little weird. But I could handle a little weird if it meant she would take us to the castle. Before we knew it, the three of us loaded back up in the Jeep (me carefully holding Link's IV stand) and were on our way.

We made it to Castle Town in ten minutes, and another five from there to get to the castle. I saw the guards start to wave us down, but I began waving my arms around. They recognized me, and let us through without making us stop at the gate.

The castle area really was beautiful. Surrounding the courtyard was a white, polished gate that stretched in all directions, shielding the magnificent view from pedestrians. Once we made it through the gate, the sprawling lawns and grassy hills were revealed. Foresty areas were on either side. I knew there was a waterfall hidden in the trees, with a small river running from it. The river wound its way around the polished, grand castle where I lived with my father and Sheik. My mother had died when I was young, leaving the three of us behind.

We had not made it very far in before a guard I recognized stepped out from a tree. Ruto slowed the car to a stop.

"Princess Zelda?" he asked me, his voice solid. "Prince Sheik requests to see you in the courtyard. Please follow me."

"Can we take the car? He has an IV," I said.

"No. On foot. Leave the car here with the keys in the ignition," said the guard. As I began to protest, he opened his jacket a little, revealing a small handgun. He didn't make a move to draw it, but he made his point. The three of us piled out of the car. Ruto took Link's rolling IV and guided it across the grass as we made our way. He put his good arm around my shoulders and I struggled underneath his weight, helping him walk. I prayed it wouldn't be long.

Sheik was standing near the waterfall I mentioned earlier. He had ten guards standing around him, all with weapons drawn. In one hand he was holding a glass bottle with a strange pink liquid inside and a syringe in the other. It was the antidote. My eyes zeroed in on it.

"The medallion?" he asked, seeing my expression.

"Zelda, be careful," Link warned. I took the medallion from my neck and showed it to Sheik.

"Give it to me," he commanded. Not in much of a position to bargain, I tossed the medallion across the area between us. It landed a foot or so in front of him. He bent, picked it up, and touched a small button on the side the medallion. The phoenix popped open, revealing a small compartment inside. He pulled out what looked like a tea bag, with small, brown, crushed up powder inside. He smiled and threw the empty medallion to the ground. "Very good."

"The antidote," I said.

"Great things will come from this," Sheik said absently, turning the tiny bag around in his hand, admiring it. He began to pace, drawing nearer to us. "Would you like to be my queen, Zelda? Not romantically, of course. We can start a new form of government, where the status of queen is not merely a result of matrimony. The title can be reserved only for a female with equal status as the king."

"Sheik, give me the antidote, please," I said, feeling slightly desperate. I was scared, tired, and hurting from all the activities of the past day. I hadn't realized that Ruto would actually confront Sheik with us. I had thought she would wait by the car while we made the trade; Sheik appeared to have had other ideas.

"Our current king is weak. Our father," he corrected, ignoring my repeated request. "He must be eliminated. He will never see it coming- he knows nothing of any of this. I will miss him, true, but it is for the good of all Hyrule." As he spoke, he came closer.

"You're going to have to take it from him," Link breathed just loud enough so I was the only one to hear him.

"I will be the new leader," Sheik said, finally coming to a stop. He was only a few feet away. "You won't be too sad when our father is the first victim of my army, will you? Especially if you are queen-"

Before he could finish whatever crazy thought he was making, I lunged forward, visualizing a leopard, like they had taught me to in training. My hand touched the vial, but a guard ripped me away before my fingers closed around it. I cried out. "No!"

"Now _that,_" Sheik said, his voice sounding dangerously angry, "was a mistake." And with that, he turned towards the river. I cried out again when he hurled the vial at the rocky water. The glass shattered and the liquid whirled away with the water. "Don't you regret that, now? But wait, there's more. Guards! Arrest him for subordinance and treason."

They all swarmed, twisting Link's wrists behind his back and binding them together with a piece of rope. His face drained color and his mouth dropped to form an O when the freshly stitched wound was pulled on. I felt pain, too, sympathizing with the agony he must be feeling right now.

"And get the doctor as well," Sheik said almost lazily.

"On what grounds?" I shouted angrily, struggling against the guard that was holding me.

"She was part of the conspiracy to take down the Royal Family of Hyrule," Sheik said.

"She saved his life!" I cried, watching the guards unmercifully tie Ruto's hands, too. As they began to haul the pair off towards the prison, I began babbling. "You can't do this! You can't do this! You can't just lock them up like this with no one noticing!"

"How would anyone notice? He was banished from Hyrule a year ago, and he was lucky I didn't have his head then. He has no friends here. The few that he did accumulate haven't had contact with him since the battle yesterday. No one knows where he is. And as for the doctor, she's just a crazy old lady from a tiny village. The only one who would notice her absence would be the receptionist, but the receptionist is a heavy alcoholic and only shows up to work half the time. If she starts asking questions, we can take care of her, too."

"What about me?" I said, watching Link and Ruto disappear with the guards into the trees, where I assumed another car was waiting for them to escort them to the castle prison. Soon, the only ones left in the clearing were Sheik, the guard holding me, and myself. "You think I won't tell?"

"I know you won't," Sheik said, looking away from the drug and walking towards me. He touched his finger to my cheek and I jerked away. "You won't tell a soul. You won't because you know that if you do, I could have them killed without a second thought. It would be easy to create a case against them. Who would believe a hair-brained doctor from a small town and a turncoat against the Prince?"

"I'm the Princess. What if I back them up?"

"You know they won't listen to you. Have you forgotten that the public still sees you as a harlot?" I gasped at his rudeness, and he smiled. "I know you won't tell, because you are smarter than that. You will tell no one, especially not our father. Do you really want their deaths on your conscious? I thought not. You're all alone, Zelda. Even if you tried to tell someone about this plot to resurrect the dead in an attempt to build the perfect army, who would believe you? No one. How does it feel to have your only allies in prison?" I glared stonily at him. "You're all alone." He smirked again, before gesturing at the guard. The guard instantly released me. As he walked out of the trees with Sheik, I sat down on the ground, my head in my hands, Sheik's last words echoing through my brain.

_You're all alone, Zelda._

_All alone._


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

I sat there for awhile, all by myself, before I finally decided to, as my friend Malon would say, "Cowboy up". I jumped to my feet, brushed the dirt from my jeans, and walked toward the castle. Did I have any idea what my next move was? Not a clue. But what good would sitting alone in the woods do? I had no plan, no place to go, but forward. I walked the half-mile to the castle when a friendly guard greeted me with a hello, welcome back, before allowing me inside.

The entrance hall of the castle was breathtaking. It had been built to astound all those who entered and impress them with our wealth. The floors were polished marble, and there were sweeping staircases on either side. The rails along the stairs were made of pure glass. On the far wall was a huge, three-story tall stained glass window that overlooked the courtyard. The stained glass depicted the Hero of Time showing down with Ganondorf, striking the final blow.

The magnificence of the chamber didn't even phase me as I headed towards the left staircase, which led to the west wing. All the bedrooms were in the west wing, and the business was in the east. There wasn't much to the middle but for the entrance hall, dining room, and the hospitality room, all stacked on each other in that order. The castle was shaped like a giant U, with the courtyard filling all the space in the middle. Before I could make it up to my room, however, I was stopped.

"Zelda! Welcome home!" my father said, coming down the east staircase. I faked a smile as he opened his arms wide, allowing his flame-colored robes spill to the floor. He embraced me in a hug, asking me all the questions one was supposed to ask. Where had I been? Was I all right? Had I succeeded in my mission? Where had I stayed? How did I get blood all over my clothes? I formed a lie about how I had gotten lost during the mission after succeeding in it, and had found my way back gradually, camping along the way. The blood came from a group of Wolfos I had encountered on my way home. It was theirs, not mine. It was a very rushed greeting, and my father mistook my hesitancy to talk for sleep deprivation.

"You must be exhausted," he said sympathetically. "You should rest. We have the ball to look forward to tonight, after all!"

Damn! I had forgotten about the ball. I guess I'd forgotten that today was Hero of Time day. Today marked the anniversary of the day that the ancient Link had defeated Ganondorf, and it was customary for the town to go have a celebration. I had never been, though. Father always threw a ball that I was required to attend. I must have already missed the parade, though. That would have been this morning, while I was fighting zombies with Link. Boo yah. As I was remembering this, Sheik also came down from the stairway behind Father. He was wearing black slacks and a white, long-sleeved shirt, the first few buttons undone to reveal a simple silver chain with the Triforce hanging around his neck. When he saw me, he smiled a nasty smile.

"I am tired," I admitted, directing my attention back to the King as Sheik joined us. I steadily ignored him. "I think I will go rest after all." I hugged my father again, kissing his cheek. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Zelda," he told me. As hard to believe as it was, the King of Hyrule wasn't really a money-hungry jerk. He was really just a sweet old man, if a little oblivious at times. As much as I currently hated Sheik, my ever-cautious older brother had actually saved the country several times, catching careless mistakes my loving father sometimes missed. I pulled out of the embrace, smiled at him once more, and began ascending the staircase leading to my room. I was a little paranoid about Sheik following me, but once I reached the top, I realized both of them were gone. I breathed a sigh of relief and made a right turn into the west wing of the castle. I wound my way through the beautiful hallways before finally finding my room at the end, in the very corner.

My room had a wooden door and the same marble floor of the rest of the castle. There were three windows, one over the head of my bed, one on the west wall, and one on the east. The one to the east overlooked the courtyard. The other had a balcony. If I stood on the balcony, I could see all of Castle Town. While the castle ground had sweeping lawns and space, the town itself was very urban, with skyscrapers and big screens seemingly touching the clouds. My walls were a mint green color, and my comforter was plain white. My room was pretty plain. The only furniture was the king-sized bed, a mahogany desk, and a dresser. There was a flat screen TV in the wall that I watched every now and again. I wanted to flop down on my bed and sleep, but didn't because I knew my filthy clothing would stain the white comforter, and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, anyway. Instead I hopped into the shower, using my floral soap to scrub away all the hellish occurrences of the past few hours.

I dressed in a yellow sundress adorned with brown flowers and did my makeup in my bathroom. Part of being a princess (well, a girl in general) was that when we were upset and distressed, we didn't let it show. We were tough. We used our makeup as a mask, guarding against whatever happened around us. I thought about this as I applied my foundation and curled my hair. When I was done, I smiled at myself reassuringly in the mirror and left my bathroom to face whatever the universe could throw at me. It came a lot faster than I anticipated- Sheik was already lying on my bed, the flat screen on. He was watching _The Bachelor_. I made a question mark face at him before crossing my arms and popping out my hip in typical diva style.

"What are you doing in here, Sheik? And why the crappy taste in television?"

"I just came to remind you to be a good little girl today, especially at the ball tonight. It would be a shame for anyone to find out about everything."

"We've had this talk. Get out," I said coldly, snatching the remote from him and glaring down at him. He stared back at me, one eyebrow raised. "Fine," I snapped, walking out my bedroom door. I didn't really think about where I was going. I found my way to a door in the hallway. I opened it and made my ascent up the wooden staircase. This particular turret of the castle was very old. The king had been advised many times to get rid of it because it was a fire hazard. The castle had been redone many, many times throughout the years to modernize it, but this little turret had not been touched since it had been rebuilt after the showdown with Ganondorf. It was the tallest turret in the castle and I found my legs aching by the time I came to the top of it. I opened up the heavy doors and found myself in an old, dusty chapel.

No services were ever held there; Sunday services were held in the Temple of Time. The chapel was meant for only those who had an urge to worship and adore their chosen god or goddess in solitude. It had wooden floors and many old, dusty pews. The altar was plain, decorated by only a large, solid-gold Triforce. Each side was around three feet long. The Triforce was rumored to carry the blessing of the Goddesses. Supposedly if one with a pure heart touched it, they would listen and grant a wish. No one had ever tried- it was forbidden. Only one who had a Triforce on the back of their hand could touch it without being burned, and because no one had the legendary hand-Triforce, there was no point. Sighing, I walked to a pew and sat down, staring at the glowing Triforce. I wasn't even surprised, really, when Sheik entered and sat down beside me.

"I don't like it when people walk away from me," he hissed in my ear. I sat stonily, not giving him what he wanted- a fight. "Just be careful, little girl," he warned me. "Link's death wouldn't be fun to plan- no one would miss him. Now, the doctor, that would be interesting. I've always loved story telling. There are so many options- a tragic fall from the roof of a building, faked suicide, a swim in the river gone wrong…"

"Stop," I commanded, fighting the urge to be sick. "I know all this. I know that I can't tell anyone or you'll kill them. Why are you rubbing it in?"

"Oh, just for emphasis," he said, standing up. When he did so, I realized he was holding a manila envelope, brimming with papers. "I thought you would enjoy this. It's the file that your tool stumbled upon, starting this whole mess. It has all the information in it about Project Phoenix."

"Why are you giving me this?" I asked, taking the file from him.

"You know all that we wanted hidden, anyway. I thought you would like to read just how he will die," he said. "It's a very painful way. It will be rather interesting to study him and see just how he will take it."

"Wait. Study him?" I asked.

"He will be moved to the lab before too long," Sheik told me. "Hooked up to machinery and whatnot. I suggest visiting him now- it may be the last time you ever see him."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked again, my voice much higher and shriller than before.

"Why do you care so much about him?" Sheik asked, walking to the door and placing his hand on the knob. "He left you. You cried for days and then were depressed for months. You shouldn't be so obsessed with him." Sheik shook his head and curled his upper lip, disgusted. "It's unnatural. Next time you see him, ask him about his parents." With that last ominous statement, he left the chapel, silently closing the door behind him. I stood numbly for a moment, clutching the file to my chest, before shoving it into my huge tote. I headed down to the dungeon.

I saw no one on my way down. The dungeon received very few visitors, unless there was someone particularly interesting down there. In this case, there wasn't. There weren't even any normal guards- just Sheik's men. They smirked at me but allowed me entry.

The dungeons were mostly underground. There was a small window at the top of each cell about six inches tall and a foot wide. There had not been any in the past, but about fifty years ago all the equal rights organizations had put up a huge courtroom brawl that the prisoners were being treated unfairly. All the recycled, moldy air was making them sick, and a few even died. There were also reports of excessive brutality and beatings from the guards. The Royal Family had been required to put windows in each cell in order to increase the air supply and health of the prisoners, blah blah blah. The guards, however, were still rather vicious at times. I felt my heart pound as I made my way down the dimly lit tunnel, scanning the mostly empty cells for my Link.

Thankfully, when I found him, he was exactly as the last I had seen him. He was no more bruised than before. He was sitting in the corner of his cell, one knee up and his good arm resting on it. He wore the same black pants he had been wearing and no shirt. His shoulder looked terrible, but the bandage appeared to be holding up well. His torso was caked in dirt, sweat, and dried blood.

"Thank the Goddesses," I whispered when I saw him. When I spoke, he looked up, his blue eyes piercing through his damp, shaggy, blond hair into mine. I caught my breath when he looked at me, and I rushed over to the bars and dropped to my knees, disregarding the dirt that was surely staining my dress. I dropped the tote bag beside me and clutched the bars with both hands. "Link," I whispered. He looked at me, and then laboriously dragged himself over to the bars as well. "No, don't move…" But it was useless. No one could tell Link what to do. He pulled himself to me and took my fair, small hands in his scarred, tanned ones. His breathing was uneven and harsh. "How are you?" I asked lamely. He gave me an amused look and then looked back down at our hands. He stared at them a good long while before I withdrew one of mine and brushed his cheek. I felt my heart beating and my lip quivered as I stared at my Link, my love, in a prison.

"They're taking you away," I whispered to him. "Sheik told me. They're taking you to the lab at some point. They want to study you and see how you handle the poisoning from the ReDead bite."

"I thought they would," he said, his voice soft.

"I'm supposed to ask you about your parents," I said.

"My mother and father?"

"Yes," I answered. "It's important." Even though Link and I had known each other for years, he had never liked to speak of his parents. When I would ask, he would always change the topic. He would occasionally mention his father, but never his mother.

"I was raised by my aunt, mostly," Link told me. "My mother died when I was young. My father died a few years later. I don't really remember a whole lot about them. There is a picture in my wallet of my parents if you want to see them," he said.

"Okay," I said, a little disappointed. I had thought there would be something more impressive than that. Sheik was probably just pulling my strings.

"Zelda?" Link asked me, his voice pathetically sad. I looked at him. "I'm going to go to sleep now, okay?"

"Okay," I said, tears in my eyes. I nodded as he closed his beautiful blue orbs. He fell asleep very quickly, I noticed. When I was sure that he was no longer conscious, I picked up his hand and kissed it. I set it back down and continued down the hallway until I found Ruto. "Hello," I said. She looked up at me, startled. Unlike Link, Ruto was pacing neurotically around her cell, watching the small window apprehensively. I could practically hear the gears grinding in her head.

"Hello," she told me.

"How is he?" I asked, even though I had just talked to him.

"Not good," Ruto said nervously, resuming her pacing. "He must get the nutrients needed, otherwise the blood loss will kill him. I don't know how much longer he has. If you could go to my office and retrieve some, it would not be hard to administer to him."

"I can do that," I said, nodding. It would be good to have some kind of objective instead of meandering around uselessly. "Doctor, I am so, so sorry I roped you into this. This is all my fault."

"Ah," she said, waving her hand and smiling weakly. "It was fate. I'm just a hair-brained doctor, anyway. No one will miss me."

I faked a chuckle when she said this. She gave me some quick directions as to where I could find the medicine, and I left. I walked down where I had come, my heart twinging at Link as I passed him, and stopped at the end of the hall. I checked to make sure there were no guards, and I sneaked into the small chamber where the prisoners' belongings were stored. I quickly found Link's wallet, and took out the small, folded picture. I shoved it in my dress pocket without looking at it. I replaced the wallet and exited the castle. I put on my Gucci sunglasses and walked across the castle grounds. I tried to enter the Royal Garage (yes, it is just as beastly as it sounds), but Sheik's men stopped and scoffed at me. I wanted to take Ruto's jeep, but they were unsurprisingly unwilling to cooperate. I stormed away, formulating a plan in my head. I tried to keep my breathing even, tried to ignore the fact that Sheik's men were everywhere, their eyes always on me. I hastily walked to the stables, where I met a friend.

"Hi, Malon," I said warmly, removing my glasses. Malon, the stable girl, turned from the stall she was mucking to face me. She was wearing boots, a pair of jean pants, and a plaid pearl snap blouse. Her fiery red hair was pulled into a ponytail, with long strands falling out around her freckled face.

"Well howdy there, Zelda!" Malon drawled. "What can I do for ya?"

"I need a horse," I said, my eyes shining with anticipation. "She has to be fast. She has to be able to ride far away without stopping, as fast as she can."

"Are ya runnin' away or somethin'?" Malon teased me, leading me through the stables and stopping in front of a stall containing a beautiful red mare. "Zelda, meet Epona. She's a good horse. She'll get the job done, whatever it is."

"Thank you, Malon," I said politely, walking towards Epona and stroking her vibrant red hair as Malon put a saddle on her for me. I knew how to ride, but not without a saddle. I hitched my skirt up behind me and sat on it. Malon led the horse and I out of the stable and let us loose. "Malon, one more thing."

"Yes'm?"

"If they come, if the guards come-" I stopped myself, looking at her chocolate brown, sweet eyes. How much could I say? Just enough. "Run."

"Is that what you're doin'?"

"Yeah," I answered.

"Are ya comin' back?"

"Yes."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," Malon said simply. "If you're here, then I'm safe."

"How do you figure?"

"Z, you're the smartest, strongest, most powerful princess to ever live," Malon told me. "If anyone can handle the bad guys, it's you. If you're here, I don't have to be afraid. You can take 'em."

"Thanks," I said, my eyes watering at the undeserved praise.

"Go get 'em!" Malon said. I grinned and Epona and I were off. And yes, I did feel like a bad ass as I tore through the grounds at the speed of light on horseback. The trees and the castle and the grounds and everything melted away as I escaped from my own unchained prison. I felt a warm tingling sensation on my left hand, but was too focused on my flight to check.

I could see the gates to Castle Town when Sheik's men, also on horseback, caught up to me.

"Keep going, girl," I willed Epona. "Don't stop! Good girl!" I kept murmuring praises to her, getting excited as we left Sheik's men in the dust. "Yes! Yes!" I whooped, clinging to Epona for dear life. My victory laugh was fading when two ATV's came out from either side of the tree line and into our path, straight towards us. The sound and sudden movement scared Epona. She whinnied and stood up on her back legs, kicking her front hooves into the air at the ATV's. I held back a shout and clung to her, barely staying on. Epona landed down on all fours again, and within moments guards were all around us. They pulled me from her and threw me to the ground. I covered my face with my hands, but no blows came. They rolled me on my back and twisted my arms behind me, binding my wrists together in seconds. Then I was jerked to my feet to meet a very angry Sheik. His nostrils were flared and I became suddenly aware of just how much bigger than me he was. There did not seem to be words for just how pissed off my brother was as he shoved me into a black Hummer that had been parked alongside the road. The tinted windows revealed no secrets. Sheik climbed in beside me, and the driver began to take us back towards the castle. I prayed that Malon would take my advice if the guards came for her, too. I clearly was not the hero she thought I was. I felt ashamed.

When we stopped, Sheik dragged me out of the Hummer and into the castle. We descended down a trapdoor, guards surrounding us. I recognized that we were heading towards the prison.

"You can't keep me down here," I threw out. "Dad will notice-"

"Shut up!" Sheik said. I opened my mouth again to protest, and Sheik turned and swiftly slapped me across the face. I gasped as the slap began to sting and burn. "It is time you learned obedience," Sheik said, dragging me down the same hall I had been in earlier to visit Link. "And I am sure that your knight will enjoy watching obedience be beaten into you."

"Dad-" I muttered.

"An accident," Sheik raged on. "You fell. Or a car crash. You could have run into a gang while you were in town. The options are _endless_," he hissed. I shivered as we neared Link's cell. Sheik threw me to the ground in front of it, and I landed on my face.

"You are too nosy for your own good, Finlay," Sheik ranted, turning me over, a whip in his hand. "You stumbled into my private studies and was banished from the kingdom for it. But that was not enough. You had to continue with the madness and try to take me down. You were punished. Now you have pitted my own sister against me. Again, you both will be punished."

I didn't scream when Sheik raised the whip above his head. I closed my eyes when I heard him snarl with rage. Sheik then gasped and dropped the whip, before shouting out more orders to his guards. I curiously opened my eyes, wondering what was going on and why I wasn't being beaten. I then looked over at Link's cell and realized that it was, in fact, empty.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

I was lying on the nasty, mucky prison floor preparing to be beaten when the guards and Sheik realized that Link, our sole audience member, was not in his cell. Sheik freaked out- he began barking out orders to find him, angry that his men had moved him before he had given the order. The men then told him that they had not moved him. Sheik realized that Link had escaped on his own, through the broken bars on his formally unbreakable window, and Sheik did this weird little howl of rage. I smiled smugly, staring at the busted window while wondering how on earth Link had managed to break the huge, metal bars. Both he and Ruto's had been blasted apart and now both of them were gone.

I was only allowed to stay for the first few hectic minutes. Sheik then had me whisked away upstairs to my room, escorted by a guard. He warned me not to try to escape again, and I agreed with a smug smile. Now that Link and Ruto had escaped, I was only mildly worried. I reclined on my bed and turned on the TV. When the clock began ticking before the ball, I re-showered, redid my makeup, and allowed a professional hair stylist to come into my room and do my hair. She pulled it into a stylish up do, twisting my fair hair into a knot on the back of my head. Curly locks fell down in the front, framing my heart-shaped face. She helped me into my ball gown I had purchased weeks ago. The top was corset-like, the ribbon criss crossing over the skin of my back. The skirt fanned out around me, falling at my feet in waves. It made my waist look tiny. The dress was orange and red, and reminded me of a sunset. I completed the look with earrings and a golden necklace. The stylist assured me that I looked beautiful, and then left. I smiled at my reflection before exiting my room and stopping at the top of the stairs.

The ball was being held in the huge entrance hall of the castle. It was already packed with people. There was a live band playing a slow song. Couples twisted and spun each other around the hall, and I felt a pang of longing. I wished that Link was with me, that we could have been one of those couples on the dance floor. It was with joy, though, when I thought about how he and Ruto had outwitted my brother and somehow escaped hours ago.

While I stood pondering this, people had begun to notice my appearance. Slowly, they began whispering and everyone turned to me. Eventually all eyes were resting on me, and that was when I chose to begin to descend the stairs. I saw the news cameras following me, and knew that my face would grace the television that night. The Royal Family always dominated on the Feast Day of the Hero of Time. The legend was told excessively and people were pumped with good old Hylian pride.

Once I had reached the bottom of the stairs, most people had looked away and resumed their conversations. I scanned the crowd for a friend, and picked up an awkward conversation, setting the stage for the rest of the night.

Oh, I danced. I danced slow, I danced fast, I danced to whatever they played. I saw the irony and redundancy in the fact that this was the second ball I had been to in two days, and although I was way more elegant and actually with people I knew this time, I didn't even have half the fun that I had had the night before. I kept thinking that I had seen glimpses of Link or Ruto weaving in and out of the crowd, dancing away. Each time I looked, though, it turned out to be another mousy, slim woman or a blond, muscular man. Each time I felt a little more depressed, and I retired to my room early. I walked in and kicked off my shoes. I closed the door and as I started to undress, someone spoke.

"I'm going to announce my presence before you do something that would _really _warrant a slap to my face," I heard Link say. I jumped about a mile high in the air and turned to face him. He was sprawled out across my bed. He was wearing a pair of jeans, different than the ones he was wearing earlier, and a plain white shirt. I could see the bandage underneath. He was clean and apparently feeling well.

"_Link?_" I cried. "What are you _doing _here?"

"Really? After this whole time that you've been mourning my absence, that is the loving welcome I receive?" he said, a lazy half-smile playing across his lips.

"But- Sheik- the guards-"

"Taken care of."

"You _took care of them?_" I said, my voice squeaky as I struggled to keep it down. "What does _that _mean?"

"No, I didn't 'take care' of them," Link said in a mocking tone. "Just put your jammies on and snuggle up with me and I'll explain."

Blushing, I selected a white nightgown that wasn't too revealing or too modest and changed in the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, my heart hammering against my breastbone. There were so many questions. How had he gotten in my room? Why was he so sure that he was undetected? What was stopping Sheik's men from popping in right now?

When I went back into my room, Link had moved. He was now sitting in my chair, leaving my bed open to me. I sat down awkwardly, and neither of us spoke for awhile.

"Want to see something cool?" Link asked me, waggling his eyebrows like a child. I nodded stiffly. Link stood up and faced my door and all three of my windows. He took a deep breath and then waved his hand slowly around, drawing pictures in the air. I watched him skeptically and gasped when I saw a small river of red and gold glitter trailing behind his fingers. The colors drifted to the walls, spread over them, and melted in, leaving no trace. Link did the same thing twice more, with different colors each time. When he was done, he turned to face me, a smile on his face. I was staring open-mouthed.

"What did you _do_?" I asked, awestruck.

"Casted spells," he said. "I'm quite pleased with them. I think I did well, if I say so myself."

"How?" I asked. I had only ever seen physical magic- like the bubble Link had conjured. I'd seen items appear, I'd even dressed myself using only magic before. But I had never seen something like that.

"We have powers, Zelda," Link told me, sitting back down in his chair. "That was how I escaped. Look at the back of your hand."

As I turned my left hand over, I recalled the warm, tingling sensation I had felt earlier. I saw, with mild shock, that the faint outline of a golden Triforce now decorated the back of my hand.

"You know the legend," Link told me. "You know that the Princess and the boy from the forest rose up together, traveling through time, to take down the King of Evil. You know that the Triforce was divided into three parts."

"Wisdom, power, and courage," I recited, looking up at Link with astonishment. "We're the reincarnations, aren't we?"

"I think we are," Link said. "I keep having dreams, Zelda. Dreams from long ago. Dreams where I'm fighting through dungeons. Dreams about you. I dream about your face constantly. When it's not about our present selves, and it is about me traveling by horseback through the old terrain in a tunic and leather boots, your face is still there in my mind. Maybe not like you are now, but it's still you. It's a past you. You are a reincarnation of the old Princess Zelda."

"And you are Sir Link," I pieced together. "So who's Ganondorf? I don't know any Ganondorfs. I think I'd know the name."

"Isn't it obvious?" Link said. "Sheik is Ganondorf."

"How can that be?"

"We're reincarnations, Zelda," Link told me. "We don't necessarily have to look like our past selves. Haven't Link and Zelda been different in each tale? In one, Zelda is a brunette. In another, she is blonde. In still another, she doesn't even have a part. Our names don't carry with us. Neither do our looks. It's our souls. Our souls are the ones that have traveled across time to be in our current bodies. Our names are just coincidental."

"It's not that far-fetched," I admitted. "Link and Zelda are very common names."

"Yes ma'am," Link told me. "So I've concluded, and I know there's a good chance I'm wrong, that Ganondorf was also reincarnated with us. And chances are the name did not travel with him, because it is not a common name. Who would name their brilliant baby boy after the infamous King of Evil?"

"You think Sheik is a reincarnation of Ganondorf," I said flatly. "You think that my brother is the King of Evil."

"Yes," Link said evenly, looking at me. "I would place money that Sheik knows he is Ganondorf, and that the throngs of evil have told him so. I don't think he's really your brother. Okay, maybe biologically," Link admitted after seeing my skeptical face, "But I don't think he's ever really had any familial connection to you or your father. His only family has ever been Darkness."

"You're insane," I muttered, even though I had a sinking feeling that he was right.

"I'm not," Link said. "The more I consider it, the more it makes sense. How could Sheik, a mortal man, make a potion that could _resurrect the dead?_ The only person to ever have done such a thing was Ganondorf. When he died, so did the ReDeads. Sheik has Ganondorf's soul, Zelda. Sheik isn't who you think he is. He-"

"Can we stop talking about my brother?" I cut in. I wasn't feeling well.

"Since we definitely have Triforce pieces," Link continued, "our spells are far more powerful. Like that? I just sealed off your room from human contact. No one can hear us. No one can see us. If anyone were to try to come to your room, there are natural barriers against it. They would hit the barrier and forget why they were even coming. It's just us. We don't have to worry."

"So we could stay in here forever, theoretically," I stated.

"Yes," Link said. "We can leave any time that we choose to. And the likelihood that anyone else can enter or overhear us is very low. The Triforce connection makes our spells so strong that they are nearly unbreakable."

"That's how you escaped," I mused. "Normal magic isn't strong enough to break those bars. You used the Triforce connection to overcome it."

"Bingo."

"That's why my hand tingled," I continued. "When the magic was stirred up for the first time, it activated."

"Most likely," Link said.

"How did you know, though?"

"I reasoned it out," Link told me. "And Ruto had sensed something about the two of us, don't tell me how. Maybe that's why she's batty. She may be connected with the Goddesses or something, I don't know. But she seemed to sense the Triforce power in the two of us and sent you to go get the nutrients. Then she walked me through it, and I busted out the bars, undetected. Then I sneaked around, freed her, made us Undetectable, and we snuck away into the night. Or, daytime, because it was afternoon."

"Where did you go?" I demanded, hungry for details.

"She left me with her sister in Castle Town while she ran back home, picked up some of her special meds, and doctored me up. I feel spectacular."

"Really?" I asked softly. Before the ball, I had poured over every detail of the file that Sheik had given me. I had read that even if the blood loss was stopped, death was still inevitable. The pain wasn't too bad until the final hour. Apparently, at that point, it became agonizing. The photos of those afflicted, screaming and writhing in pain, had turned my stomach. It was like a knife when I imagined Link screaming like that. Anyway, I imagined that he was telling the truth about not being in pain. He sure seemed fine. "Let's go back to the powers. What all can we do?"

"We have specialties," Link told me, his hands folded calmly over his crossed legs. "The legendary Hero of Time could, well, travel through time. I'm still working on that."

"Really? What's your progress?"

"If I'd made progress, do you think I would still be sitting here, dying?" Link asked me, his eyes flat. I looked away, nervously twiddling my thumbs. "Anyway," he said, awkwardly smoothing over the exchange, "the hero had the Triforce of Courage. He could ride long distances in short amounts of time. He was courageous and could tackle anything. His skills in battle were immense. He could perform simple spells and enhance his sword techniques."

"All of those describe you," I said. "The journey we took should have been much longer, even though we hardly went far at all. And you're a beast in battle."

"Why thank you," he said to me. "You, however, have different skills. You are the bearer of Wisdom. You can heal. You cannot resurrect, but you can restore. There's a big difference. You can undo spells and a bunch of other good stuff. I guess we'll figure out the details as we go along."

"How are we going to get Ganondorf?" I asked.

"I'm not totally sure yet," he admitted. "But you're most likely going to be instrumental in it. You're going to have to use your power tomorrow to imprison him again."

"Tomorrow?" I asked weakly.

"Tomorrow."

"Link, I can't. I have no idea how. I didn't even know I had special powers before today. I'm mediocre at simple spells. There's simply no way to learn them before tomorrow."

"You can do it."

"No I can't."

"You're being pessimistic."

"You're being unrealistic!" I said, starting to get annoyed. "I can't do it. I'm sorry if that disappoints you. We'll have to find another way."

"You'll do it," he said stubbornly. "Moving on."

"Ganondorf," I refused to accept that Sheik was a reincarnation of the King of Evil, "could control and persuade people. He even convinced the King and was his right hand man…"

"Before he took over the castle and turned Hyrule into an evil place, swarming with ReDeads," Link said gently, staring at me. "We have to stop him, Zelda."

"I know," I whispered.

"Whether or not you believe the whole reincarnation thing, you have to know that he's no good," Link said soothingly, his blue eyes as calming as the water of Lake Hylia. "And we've got less than twenty four hours to bring him down."

"Why are you here, Link?" I asked him. We looked at each other for a few moments. I watched his eyes, and watched him turn over and rethink things in his mind. I patiently waited for his answer. He eventually stood up from my chair and sat beside me in bed. He touched his hand to my chin and pointed my face towards his.

"There is a very, very likely chance that this is the last night I will ever be alive," he told me. "The only way I can live is if we get that vaccination, and the man who has it may or may not be a reincarnation of the King of Evil. This is probably the last night I will ever feel the chill of dew-covered grass beneath my bare feet. I will not ever again smell your perfume, will never hear the sound of your sweet voice. I am going to die tomorrow, Zelda, one way or another. How would you spend your last night on earth, if you had the luxury to choose? Most people don't get the chance. Most people don't know when they are going to die; I do. I get to choose just how I want to leave this world. I've chosen that I'm not going to leave without a fight. I'm taking as much evil from this world that I can. But before all that, I want to spend a night in heaven. I want to spend my last night with you, Zelda."

I stared at him, biting my lip nervously.

"I can leave. I will definitely leave if you want me to," Link said. "You have every reason to kick me out. I left, and even if it was because your brother blackmailed me into doing it, I should have found some way to stay. I got too excited with the prospect of traveling- I was thrilled by this new mission to save my country. I may have left you, but I never stopped loving you. Every moment I was gone, every time I came in contact with another girl, I could never make it work because you were all I thought about. I dreamed about you every night. I knew it was the kind of love that will last forever because I didn't have a _problem _with it, even. Love is forgiving and love is kind. I forgave you for your sins fully and completely; I hope you can do the same. If the wound is too deep, I understand. I will leave and we can forget I ever said any of these things. I love you, Zelda Harkinian. May I please stay with you tonight and keep you safe?"

Without hesitation I nodded, the movement uneven and jerky. When I gave him permission, his face broke out into a smile of pure joy.

"I won't touch you. Not that I don't want to, I mean. Just if you don't want me to. I'll sleep in the chair- I'll be a perfect gentleman, I'll-"

"Has anyone told you that you have a habit of talking too much when you're nervous?" I said, my voice lower, (hopefully) hotter. I crawled across to him, pulling myself into his lap.

"Once or twice," Link breathed into my ear, amused by my antics. "By you, funnily enough."

"When you say those things, do you mean them?" I whispered, putting my hands behind his head and wrapping my fingers in his thick, long hair. "Do you love me?"

"I do," he said. "Do you love me?"

In answer, I smiled at him, half-tilting my head. "Do you really have you ask?" I then planted my lips against his.

The familiar fire was back with a vengeance; it was as if we had never separated. There were things about Link that were different than before. There was a bulky scar on the front of his left pec. His hands were tougher, more calloused. His lips, however, were as soft as ever. The feel of his warmth against me was the same as it always had been.

When we broke apart, both of our breathing patterns heavy, we were still sitting up, arms around each other. I rested my head against his chest and listened to his quickened heartbeat.

"I love you, Link Finlay," I said, the words filled with familiarity. It was easy to imagine that we had never been apart.

"And I love you, Zelda Harkinian," he answered back. I kissed him again; this kiss was soft and short, unlike earlier. "And not to break the mood or anything, but did you ever look at that picture of my parents?"

I paused for a short moment. "No. And you successfully killed it by bringing up your mom and dad."

"No, I just mean-"

"I know," I laughed, kissing him again. I turned my lamp on and walked towards my laundry hamper, where I had discarded the sundress I had worn earlier. I pulled the wrinkled photo out of the pocket and snuggled up next to Link. I carefully unfolded the picture. It was of a young Link with chubby cheeks and short hair, with a mother and a father on either side of him. "Aww, little you is so cute! Why didn't you ever show me pictures before? And your mom is gorgeous!"

"She was beautiful," Link told me with pride. "I hardly saw her, though. She went on business trips and such constantly. She would stay for a few weeks, then leave for an equal amount." As I stared at the mother in the picture, my heart slowly began to freeze and my stomach began to knot together. "Zelda? What's wrong?" he asked, seeing my face. He picked himself up, instantly alert. He scanned the area, searching to see if an intruder had somehow gotten through his spells. As I stared at the smiling faces, I suddenly felt as if I were going to throw up. I jumped away from him instinctively, dropping the photo as if it were on fire. Link watched me, astonished, as I tripped to my desk and jerked open the top drawer. I rifled through the papers and ripped out a photograph of my own, examining it, and moaning.

"What is wrong?" Link asked, his protectiveness transforming itself into anger. Wordlessly, I handed him my own photograph. As he looked at it and compared them his face drained of blood. "This is impossible."

"Look at them, Link," I said. "Just look at them! Look at our mothers! They're even wearing the same clothing! When was yours taken?"

"Today, many years ago," Link said, his voice dropping.

"Mine too," I said. "My mother wasn't here in the morning because she was visiting friends. We took this shortly before the ball."

"We took mine in the morning," Link said. "She had a party to go to in the evening…" He stared at the photographs again, at the undeniable evidence. The same woman was in both of them, wearing a pink tee shirt and jeans, her blonde hair pulled back with a headband. The pictures were very similar, but different kids. However, Link and I both had the same blonde hair and blue eyes…

"You can't be my sister! You can't be!" Link suddenly yelled, still staring at the pictures. "That's not the same lady!"

"Link," I said, feeling very, very tired. "Something's going on here. She's the same…"

"That's impossible!" he raged on. "How could we have the same woman posing as _both _our mothers, with neither of us knowing? Why?"

"My mother, the queen," I whispered, "would also leave on business trips for weeks at a time. My mother also died while I was very young. She was in a car accident, too."

"How?" he asked. "_How_?"

I had no answer. I had no idea. All I knew was that this was the same woman. One of the pictures was taken in the morning, the other at night of the same day. She was wearing the same clothing. She had the same, curly hair in both pictures. Her eye makeup was done with the smoky eye affect, and the inside of her right eye was smudged in both photos. She had the same smile, with the same single crooked tooth on the top row.

As Link noticed all this, he looked up at me, and I suddenly began to see myself in him. We had the same blonde hair. We had the same blue eyes, the same angular cheekbones. My God, how had we not noticed this before?

"There has to be an explanation," I said desperately, seeing that I was losing him quickly. "You're right. There's no way she could be both our mothers."

"Why did you ask about my parents?" Link asked me suddenly. "What brought this on?"

"Sheik told me to ask," I answered him. "He told me… He told me…"

"What did he tell you?" Link shouted, stepping even further away from me.

"He told me that it was unnatural that I love you so much," I said numbly. "He told me to inquire about your parentage…"

"He knows," Link said. "That bastard knows, and he didn't tell."

"Link, I love you. I still love you. Nothing can change that," I said desperately, suddenly feeling déjà vu of the last time he had left. He wordlessly shook his head. "Link, you promised you would stay! What was all that about your last night, about wanting to spend it with me?"

"That was before I knew you were my sister!" he yelled, the words like knives.

"You're jumping to conclusions!" I said desperately. "There's another way! This isn't true! He made it up!"

"I've carried that picture in my wallet since I was nine! I highly doubt he's been planning this for that long!"

I followed him onto my balcony, hating myself and my dependency on him. What happened to the independent woman I had become after he had left? All it took was one freaking make out session and I was back to square one. He was leaving again, and I was begging him to stay.

"I can't stay. Not anymore."

"You promised!" I cried even as he shouldered his backpack and climbed down the stone balcony. I followed him and watched as he jumped down, somehow landing on two feet, uninjured. He shrouded himself in some kind of special undetectable spell, and that was the last that I saw of him. Moaning, I sank down the wall and put my head in my hands.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey guys. So, I try not to nag about reviews, hoping that everyone will just do it, because reviews are the reason that a lot of authors, including myself, even write fanfiction. I probably wouldn't do it at all if it weren't for the reviews, because I kind of don't like the whole borrowing-ideas-and-themes-from-games as opposed to all original stuff. I only post for the feedback. But I can't help but feel a little resentful about the amount of reviews... I mean, when there's 1000+ hits for a six chapter fic and eight reviews, the math just doesn't add up. And I know, I don't review every thing that I read because of laziness, but I might not feel inclined to write at all anymore if the only thing that I do it for is so unreliable. I know, I don't like harpin', so I apologize and hope I haven't scared you all off :P Anywho, remember to review, please!

Also, happy Independence Day people! Stay safe! Keep your warrin' safe! :)


	8. Chapter 8

_ Chapter Eight_

I didn't sleep well. I tossed and turned all night. I dreamed about Link, and once or twice woke up, expecting to find him beside me. Instead, I was alone. I would then remember that there was no way he would ever touch me again, and I would be lucky enough if he ever spoke to me. Early in the morning, I decided to give up on sleep and went ahead and prepared myself for the day. I donned a short-ish sundress, white with red flowers. I curled my hair and stood on my balcony, walking in nervous little circles before finally settling on the stone rail around it. I looked at the sprawling castle grounds and already bustling city, washed anew with morning dew and painted a soothing vermilion by the sunrise. I could only think of Link. Remembering the magic he had worked the night before, I curiously decided to test it out. I sat down on the ground and looked at my Triforce. I stared at it for a long time, not knowing what to do, until it came to me in a stroke of inspiration. I simply touched it with my right index finger and closed my eyes, thinking of Link's handsome face.

_Link, _I thought to myself, willing him to hear me somehow. _Link. Come to me. I need you now. Come to me._

I sat for quite some time, but I did not feel or hear any response. Somewhat lamely after deciding it hadn't worked, I decided I couldn't stay there anymore, and I wanted answers elsewhere.

I walked through the hall numbly, deliberately averting my thoughts away from the hell that was sure to break loose today. I descended the marble staircase the same way that I had the night before, although this time the only audience I had were the ghosts of my imagination.

I then made my way outside and was struck by the silent beauty of the castle grounds. I felt almost at peace while I listened to the birds singing to each other. I breathed in the heavy, humid air and gazed at the glowing orb in the sky that was painting my world so many colors. I walked to the training grounds, inhaling the scent of the freshly cut grass. I found Sheik with a bow and arrow, aiming again and again at a stuffed dummy with a target on its chest. Once I'd found him, I wasn't totally sure what to say. I stood a few feet behind him in silence, watching him practice.

"Did you speak with Link?" he asked me casually, firing off an arrow. He struck the dummy in the heart.

"I did," I answered, seeing no point in lying.

"So you know?"

"I feel like I don't know much more than I do," I admitted, my hands in fists at my sides. "He showed me a picture of his mother."

"And you deduced?"

"She was the same woman I grew up with. The same woman we grew up with," I corrected myself. "I'm so confused…"

"Would you like the truth?" he said seriously, raising his bow again. When I didn't answer, he chose to tell me anyway. "The three of us were all raised by the same mother, as the photo suggests. However, she somehow managed to be all our mothers, but without us knowing about each other. How could this be?" Sheik's voice was solid, slow, and steady. I wanted to believe him. "It's really a dirty history, and because of how overly exploited our family is anyway, we had to hush it up. Our mother, the queen, had an affair.

"The man was a man that she knew in her younger years. They, in fact, had at one time been engaged. For whatever reason they broke off the engagement and our mother fell in love with our father. One way or another, I'm not sure on the specifics here, she met her ex-fiancée and fell for him again. She would sneak out of the castle and spend time with him in his glass shop. While she was off marrying the king and becoming queen, the man that she would cheat on our father with was busy being a glassmaker. Before anyone knew what was going on, there was a full-on scandal. But it was about to be made worse- the queen somehow mysteriously became pregnant."

The whole time Sheik was speaking I stared at him. He paid no attention to me and focused on his training. My brother was ten years older than I was, with dishwater blond hair and chocolate eyes. He was very muscular and also very hot, as my friends had told me countless times over the years. He had a slow, deep voice that had always been reassuring but had recently become terrifying. As he spoke, I wanted to be young again. I wanted Sheik to be my role model and I wanted to trust him. The more he spoke about our parents, the more the sickening knot in my stomach twisted.

"The king was outraged, as you can imagine," Sheik continued with the tale. "How would you feel if you were the most famous family in the country and your wife cheated on you? The worst part was that it had to be kept a secret. The public would have hated her had they known about the affair. Since the queen loathed publicity anyway, it wasn't hard to keep the pregnancy hushed up. No one knew except for the Royal Family and a few chosen Sheikah who served us. When the queen had the baby, a boy, the king was very upset. The king could not handle having another man's child living in his castle with him, and he did not want the baby. Our father forced our mother to give up our child to his biological father. Our mother did it because, I think, she always did love our father and didn't want to hurt him anymore."

"The boy was Link," I said, my heart breaking.

"Yes. Link is the result of an affair our mother had with another man," Sheik said slowly and clearly. "And although she didn't want to hurt our family any more than she had to, she loved Link and couldn't bear not seeing him. She would leave for weeks at a time, telling us that she was going on business trips and whatnot. In reality, she would go and spend time with Link and his father, assuming the role of mother. She would tell Link the same story when she would come here to the castle to reign as queen."

"Why didn't Link see pictures of the queen and notice that it was his mother?" I asked.

"She hated publicity. Don't you remember?" Sheik told me. "She always avoided those things. Her sister had been killed in a car accident caused by reporters that had been in the way. After that she loathed cameras. After the birth of Link, she stayed away from them that much more. As him if he has any more pictures of her, I'd be curious to hear his response."

"What about me?" I asked, hating everything about the world at that point. "Whose kid am I, if she kept seeing the glassmaker?"

"You are my full blooded sister," Sheik answered me. "You are the king's daughter. Your blood is fully royal. Link is only your half-brother."

"But it's enough," I said, feeling sick.

"It's enough," he answered back. There were so many holes in his story. Where was the proof, after all, if it was all so secret? It was in the photo, I realized. It was most definitely the same woman. It was in the way that neither Link nor my mother had ever gone to so much as a Parent Teacher Conference at school. It was in the fact that we were told the same story about business trips. It was in the way that she was in both of our pictures, that we both could identify her as the mother that had raised us. It was in the delicate curve of our cheekbones, the light coloring of our skin, the pure blue of our eyes…

"Why do you know about this?" I asked spitefully. "Why didn't anyone tell me that I had a second brother?"

"I know because I am so much older than you," Sheik told me. "I was old enough to remember that my mother was pregnant and had everything explained to me. I have always known. No one told you because by the time you came around, Link was already older. The drama had mostly faded. It was just easier to not explain it and to pretend it had never happened."

"Why didn't anyone tell me when Link and I began seeing each other? It wasn't like it was a spur of the moment engagement. We'd been together for years."

Sheik sighed and put the bow down. He watched the sunrise while he struggled to find words. "It was very awkward," he finally spat out. "Father tried to get the two of you to break up many times. There was simply no way around it. Nothing incredibly dramatic happened and there wasn't much we could do- by that point, Link was on his way to becoming the best fighter in all of Hyrule. We couldn't hurt him or banish him at the time. When he started courting you, the public simply fell in love with him. There wasn't much we could do without looking like villains."

"But when he stumbled upon Project Phoenix, there were enough reasons to banish him?" I said acidly.

"Yes," Sheik said. "By that point, Link Finlay had done enough damage to my family. We forced him to leave you, partially because of the blood ties. Don't look at me like that- you should be counting your blessing I was kind enough not to have him killed. I gave him that option, too. I told him he could either leave or die."

"And our dad doesn't know about any of this."

"He knows everything about the affair," Sheik said. "Project Phoenix, on the other hand… That is between us. Just we children of the queen."

I gave him a nasty look, and he laughed. The sound was sickeningly rich. I didn't know how the brother that I had loved two days ago I could now hate with such a passion.

"You've wrecked my life, Sheik," I said quietly. "I found love, but you neglected to nip it at the bud. Had you told me he was my brother, things could have ended long ago and much of this been avoided. However, you chose the coward's path and decided to keep it a secret. And then, when our brother found your awful secret, you banished him without telling me why. He didn't choose to leave. You forced him to."

"He should have died with the dignity of a soldier rather than betray the crown," said Sheik, the laughter dying. I noticed a strange, red glow in his eyes.

"Dying would have made him a fool," I said, my voice cutting through his lies like ice. "Only fools sacrifice themselves without reason. He would not have been a martyr; he would have been wasted. Instead, he chose to leave and improve his skills. After he knew your secret, he knew how to prepare. You made a mistake in sparing him. You don't know his strengths. Link has grown and has become so big that he is more powerful than even a fat hog like you."

"No one is more powerful than I!" Sheik cried, reaching out to strike me. With the speed of a cobra, I whipped my dagger from where I had stashed it in my thigh sheath before leaving my room. Before he had enough time to react, I stabbed him in the heart and jumped away.

Sheik's eyes grew wide and his mouth opened in a surprised O. His hands still reaching out towards me, he fell to the ground. The thud of his body hitting the still damp grass will always be haunting my memory. I killed my own brother, the brother who I had always looked up to. Breathing heavily, I knelt down by him and turned him over. Blood was flowing freely from the wound I had made. The dagger stuck out of him at an awkward angle, and I silently nagged at myself that I needed to work on my precision in combat. _Is it over? _I asked myself in my head. _Was it really that easy?_ I wondered while curiously taking my brother's left hand, checking the wrist for a pulse. There was none. I had killed him. I suddenly tasted bile in my mouth and I felt tears in my eyes. I let them fall, unashamed. I turned his hand over, and with mild surprise noticed that there was a Triforce there identical to mine. However, Sheik's was a brilliant gold, bright enough to burn my eyes. With shock, I looked at Sheik's face, looked at his closed eyelids. Then, suddenly, they snapped open and the hand I was holding reached up and seized my neck. As soon as he touched me, I suddenly found myself falling, falling into a world that was much younger.

_I found myself in an ancient castle wearing an elegant pink dress with long, white gloves. I was imprisoned in a pink crystal and had the same boy's face racing through my mind, his name pulsing through my soul like a heartbeat. I was intensely afraid and protective. A ghoul-like man sat away from me, playing an organ. He had eyes suspiciously like Sheik's, with the olive skin and red hair of the Gerudo. I glared at him with such hatred I wasn't totally sure what to do with it. If I were not imprisoned I could have killed him in a second._

_Suddenly, the creepy music was interrupted. The huge, wooden doors flew open and slammed against the walls, sending dust clouds flying everywhere. A hero was standing in their place, golden rays of majesty emanating from him. He wore the Hero's tunic and bore the Hylian shield and the Master Sword. His beautiful face was one I recognized. The perfect structure of his nose and cheekbones were all too familiar. I had gazed into his blue eyes a million times before, losing myself in him. His eyes met mine from across the room, and we exchanged so much emotion in the single glance that I felt drained. Everything was there- love, yearning, and rage all at once. The hero looked away from me and to the organist, who was turning slowly._

"_So it is down to the three of us, is it?" he said. The hero unsheathed his sword and faced him. My heart thudded against my chest. "Very well, then. There is no turning back? No? Then, surrender the power of the Triforce!" When the hero refused, the villain cackled maniacally. "I rise to this challenge, Hero of Time! Face me, and die!" _

_The battle that followed was rather short, with the sides equally matched. I cried out every time that my hero shouted with pain, slamming my gloved hands against the crystal, trying to free myself. The two sparred back and forth, bloodying each other with each strike. Finally, my hero latched onto the other man's cape and drove his sword into his heart. He fell to the ground, blood seeping from his mouth. On his death, my crystal dissipated and I ran to the two._

"_Link! Link!" I cried, stroking his sweaty face, wiping away the dirt and blood. "Are you alright? Are you wounded?"_

"_I am well, my lady. Hyrule is safe, and I will fight another day," he told me. My heart soared. I embraced him and I felt his strong, warm arms around me, when there was suddenly another voice._

"_This isn't over."_

_When we turned, we saw the King of Evil lying on his stomach, his lifeblood draining from him. He looked insane. He showed us his Triforce that was still glowing on the back of his hand. Afraid, I gripped handfuls of the hero's tunic in my hands and pulled myself to him. He held his shield in front of us and drew his sword again, ready to defend us to the death. The king laughed at this, and slammed his fists into the ground. With his final act, he exhaled a final time and landed on the marble floor and died. The Hero of Time and I stared at his body for a moment before the castle began quaking under our feet._

"_With his last breath, Ganondorf is going to bring the castle down!" I cried, turning. "We have to escape!"_

_The next memories were rushed and confused. The hero and I raced down flights of stairs. I unlocked doors without touching them, and he attacked creatures, saving our lives countless times. We escaped from the castle, the bricks and gates falling down around us. We barely made it out with our lives._

"_It's over," I whispered to him as we viewed the remains of the castle. "It's finally over!" He smiled down at me, and I believed it really would be okay after all. But I thought so too soon. "What's that sound?" I asked, frowning and turning towards the remains._

"_Stay here," he whispered. I looked up at him, my eyes wide. "I'll be right back. I promise." With that promise, he knelt down in front of me and picked up my hand. He kissed the back of it, winked, and darted off towards the ominous noise… _

I gasped, jumping away from Sheik. He watched me, his eyes wide and his mouth opened. Somehow, even though he should have bled to death by now, he found the strength to rise. He stood tall above me. As I was working up the energy to scream, he collapsed to the ground himself. A dark light began to shine around him. Threads covered his skin until I could no longer see him. I took steps backwards but was too horrified to really turn and run. I heard grunts coming from the dark sphere, and just like in the flashback, I willed for Link to come to me. I willed him to feel my fear and come defend me like he had in the memory. The dark sphere suddenly screamed, and a figure burst forth. What emerged from the darkness was not my brother at all, but the same figure from the memory. He was dressed regally, in black armor and with a red cape. His skin was olive, his hair fiery red. He had a large, pointed nose and stood at least seven feet tall. I fell back gasping at his sheer size.

"Did you think that would be the end of this, Princess?" the man asked me. "You are not dealing with a foolish, power-hungry prince. Your brother has not listened to the voice of reason for years, young Zelda. At first, he fought my strength, but he gave in. They always do. Except for you and that forest boy," he spat. His voice was low, drawling, and arrogant. It pierced me with a kind of fear that nothing ever had. He stepped towards me and put his meaty hand around my throat, forcing me to my feet. "Oh, your brother was resistant at first," he continued. "But he could not resist me. Once I called, he could not deny fate. I took over him slowly, choosing to live in his powerful, but weak, body. Until now. Now that you have killed him, I, Ganondorf, can be born, just as before. The Hero killed me and I rose again, ready for the final battle for Hyrule. Just as before, you, Princess, will bring the hero to me. He will come for you. He already has. You have called him already, haven't you?" he asked me. I stared at him, paralyzed by fear. "If you are here, Hero of Time, emerge!" With that statement, Ganondorf lifted me up in the air. I clutched at his huge fingers, struggling to free myself. I couldn't breathe! I was dying! He was going to strangle me! This was the end!

"Stop!" I heard a strong voice cry out. Struggling for air, I turned toward the direction of the voice and saw my Link, my hero, the man from the flashbacks, standing alone. Just like in the vision before, he seemed to be glowing. He also looked very, very pissed.

Ganondorf dropped me like a hot potato. I cried out when I landed, rolling over to my stomach. I tried to pull myself to my feet to run to Link, but Ganondorf pointed at me and threads of darkness came from his fingertips and wound themselves around my wrists and ankles. They began to bite into my skin. Blood beaded around where they were. I cried out. I looked up and saw Link make a movement towards me. Ganondorf laughed.

"What do you want?" Link asked bravely, his eyes like flint. "I am unarmed. You can have me in exchange for her."

"In an unfair fight? Never," Ganondorf said. "I would not duel with an unarmed man. That would be a disgrace. I do not want your life- I want Hyrule in my power, with the ReDeads as my army. But this cannot be done if the Hero of Time continues to exist. You will find me, and we will duel. If you fall away from the challenge, she will die. Make your choice, Hero, and choose wisely."

With that ominous challenge, Ganondorf laughed. Link reached his hand out towards me. With the flick of his wrist, Ganondorf and I were enveloped in darkness and swallowed by silence.

* * *

><p>AN: Confusing, I know. Vuahaha :) It will be kind of explained next chapter. If it's not fully explained, it SHOULD be in the epilogue. This story is winding down, ya know. Ten chapters plus an epilogue :) Anywho, thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Please, please, PLEASE everyone review, good or bad! Reviews make me as happy as seeing Alex Pettyfer dipped in chocolate. :D ... well, almost. :P


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

Link watched them become enveloped in darkness. The sphere grew and then shrunk to the size of a pin before disappearing. Zelda and Ganondorf were gone. Link stood alone in the courtyard, his breathing heavy. He knew he only had hours left to live. The clock was ticking, and the agony was already setting in.

"Link," Ruto said, emerging from the trees. Up close, she could see what Zelda and Ganondorf hadn't. When she was near him, she could see the bruise-like rings beneath Link's sunken eyes. She could see the sores starting on his arms. She could see the hallow expression on his face and hear the pain in his voice as the first stages of death set in. "What were you thinking? That was foolish!"

"I had to do it," he said heroically. "If I hadn't, he would have killed her."

"He's going to kill her anyway," Ruto said harshly, taking Link's arm and helping him walk towards the castle. He withdrew when she spoke, and she retracted. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sure he won't," she reassured him soothingly. "I'm sure you'll be the hero and save the day. If you don't die first. Let's go find that antidote."

"It's going to be guarded."

"By who? Sheik is dead," Ruto said. "Or he turned into Ganondorf. Or you please explain to me what the hell just happened?"

"Zelda called me," Link told Ruto as they limped towards the castle. "Not on the phone. She called me using the Triforce."

"How?"

"I have no idea. All I know is I was sleeping soundly, and then I heard her voice, speaking as clearly as if she were in the room with me. I had a strong urge to go and I felt pulled. I knew exactly where she was. It was the weirdest thing," Link said, his voice fading and his breathing getting noisier. "So I woke you up and we came straight here."

"I know that, I was there," she said, irritated. "I meant all that stuff with Zelda and Sheik slash Ganondorf."

"I'm not sure either," Link said, his mind searching through its vast knowledge for a solution. "But the legend says that history is doomed to repeat itself, right? I mean, how many different versions of the Hero of Time and Ganondorf have played out? This has to just be another. Sheik, Zelda, and I were all reincarnated. Sheik was really Ganondorf, though, I don't know if he was ever really himself. Ganondorf chose to act through Sheik to not have any suspicion on him. It must have been too easy to operate, with Sheik's social status and Ganondorf's cunning and power. Tell me how the legend goes, Ruto," Link said, catching his breath. Worried, Ruto furrowed her brow at him. They were almost to the castle doors.

"The final battle. Okay," Ruto began. "The princess, in disguise, found the hero and bestowed him with the light arrows. The light arrows were the most powerful weapon of all time. They had the power to destroy darkness even in its most powerful form."

"We don't need to hear about that, because Zelda didn't give me any kind of weapon. Go on," Link said, a little agitated.

"Anyway, after the princess explained the Triforce thing to the Hero of Time, Ganondorf appeared," Ruto explained. "He imprisoned the Princess in a crystal and whisked her away to the castle, where he awaited the hero for the final battle. The hero battled his way through obstacle after obstacle and brought down the barriers. He made his way up the staircase and battled the King of Evil. He killed him and freed the princess. However, with his dying breath, the King of Evil brought down the castle. The princess and the hero barely escaped with their lives."

"Uh huh," Link said. He knew the legend by heart, as did all Hylians, but he was too tired to recite it for Ruto, and he needed to hear it aloud to process what he had to do, providing he didn't croak beforehand from the bite.

"Then, from the rubble, Ganondorf transformed into something else," Ruto said, pausing outside the small door. She helped Link lean against the side of the building while she wedged open the door. The pair made it through and began their way up a small staircase. "He became Ganon, an evil monster. Ganon and the Hero of Time had the final battle, and Ganon fell. While the hero had him down, the princess and the sages imprisoned him in another realm."

"And?"

"And Ganon swore to take vengeance on their descendents," Ruto said, somewhat reluctantly. "Which would be you."

"Yes. That would be me," Link said.

"Now you tell me what happened back there."

"Ganondorf was killed. He then rose again, like the first time," Link panted. "Instead of the Hero killing him, Zelda stabbed him through the heart. When he died, he used the power of the Triforce to transform him into one, final form. Ganondorf's spirit used it to transform to his human form."

"So if you kill Ganondorf now, he'll be done?"

"No. He'll keep coming back," Link informed her. "We have to trap him."

"The same way? Won't he be expecting it?"

"Yes," Link said. "He will be. We'll just have to be crafty about it, I guess."

"How?"

"Oh, I have absolutely no idea," Link said. "I'll wing it."

"You'd make a terrible soldier."

"So I've been told."

"You know, I'm starting to like you," Ruto said to him. "Not that I didn't like you before. Just, you know."

"I've been told people are drawn to me by my stunning looks and charming personality."

"Funny. It was your humility and manners that drew me."

"Let's quit arguing. It's time to save the world."

"Fine with me," Ruto said. "But what do we need to do?"

"We need to find Ganondorf and Zelda," Link said as they came to another door, which Ruto opened for them. "Then I need to kick his ass back to whatever dimension he crawled out of."

"What about the light arrows? Don't you need them to kill him?" Ruto asked.

"I guess not, considering Zelda gave me none," Link said. "The story changes each time."

"Link? Is that your voice I hear?"

Link's eyes grew wide when he heart it. He and Ruto instantly became silent and looked at each other. They fell back into the shadows and Link whispered instructions in her ear. She nodded and slipped away.

"Link?" said the king, coming into view. "What are you doing here?"

For once, Link was at a total loss for words.

"Why are you sweating? What is wrong?" the king asked, his voice full of concern. "Do I need to call a doctor?"

"No!" Link said at last with more oomph than he intended. "No, I'm okay."

"Do you care to explain what's going on? I heard an awful racket going on outside," the king asked, his old eyes filled with kindness. "Why aren't you talking?"

"To be honest, sir, I have no idea what on earth I'm supposed to tell you," he said honestly.

"So tell the truth. In the truth, there is power," the king said wisely. Link took a deep breath, followed his instincts, and explained the whole story to the king. His eyes narrowed at parts, but he seemed to take it quite well. All Hylians were brought up knowing that the legend was doomed to repeat itself over and over, but no one knew when. Due to this belief, it was not too far fetched to believe it was really happening. The only beef, of course, was that the King of Evil was reincarnated into the king's own son.

"I've known him since he was a child. I watched his birth," the king said, his eyes sad. "But you were never a liar. You were always the best soldier. I never blamed you for leaving, although I wished you had stayed. I never knew that you had been forced to go."

"Sir, we are in grave danger. No offense, but we don't have time for this touchy feely crap," Link said, feeling his life slipping away. "Zelda's been imprisoned somewhere by Ganondorf, who plans to take over the world. We could be under attack at any minute!" As soon as the words were said, there was a scream heard down the hallway through which Ruto had escaped. Link had tactfully left Ruto out of the story- he didn't want her implicated. That was why he had made her hide when he had revealed himself to Ganondorf.

"Link, there is something I must tell you," the king said gravely. "Something about Zelda-"

"It has to wait!" Link shouted as the door was busted down and ReDeads flooded the room. Link scanned the room and picked a torch from the wall. Using up the reserves of his strength, he waved it above his head threateningly at the creatures. They shied away from the fire, but it only served as a distraction.

The king surprised Link by acting with the agility of a twenty-year old man. He reached back behind him and pulled a sword from its sheath. He brandished it in front of them and stabbed a ReDead right as it lunged for Link. Link stared at the king in awe.

"I'm old, not decrepit," he said. "We've got work to do!"

With that proclamation, the old man and the young man, the strong and the dying, began to fight the ReDeads. The king, despite his age, was an excellent swordsman. He killed nearly twice as many as Link, and by the time they were done, a small mound had accumulated around him. His regal robes were soaked in black blood, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he rather seemed impressed by himself. He surveyed what they had accomplished and his eyes came to rest upon Link, leaning against a wall, his eyes wide.

"I can't," Link said, his breathing shallow and his vision fading. "I can't…"

"Link, get up," the king said, rushing towards him as Link fell to the ground. His shoulder was bleeding again, and his skin was turning gray. He was struggling to breathe.

"Zelda… I love her… It's wrong, but…" He choked and was silent.

"Link! Boy! Wake up!" the king commanded, slapping at Link's cheek. Link jumped and began gasping for air. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't even really see the king anymore. All he could see was a wall of white. Soon, there were specks of red in the white. The red specks formed together to make a pair of eyes, a pair of eyes looking at him with kindness and love.

"Zelda!" Link gasped. Zelda had materialized in front of him. She was smiling, wearing a white dress. A wedding dress. She was wearing the ring he'd given her so long ago, and a bouquet of flowers. He felt at peace and for the first time he actually felt okay with death. He wasn't afraid, as long as he could die looking at her beautiful face.

But then something happened. Ganondorf appeared too, just behind her. Zelda smiled and waved at him, and Link shouted for her to run, but she couldn't hear him. She didn't see it as Ganondorf threw her to the ground, kicking and scratching her. Her blood ran like a scarlet river over the tile floor, and her screams echoed in Link's brain. He tried to get up, to run to her, but imaginary hands held him down.

"Zelda! Zelda!" he screamed. The king watched him, feeling fear. The ReDeads could be back any minute, and he certainly couldn't kill more by himself. He wasn't sure what to do. He watched Link hallucinate and tried to talk him out of it, but Link couldn't hear or see him. Link screamed and writhed as if white-hot coals were burning him. He cried like a baby, screaming the king's daughter's name over and over again. He was bleeding profusely and no bandages could stop it. Rivulets of blood ran from his mouth, his nose, and his ears, even…

"Sir!" a slight woman called, running into the room. She didn't hesitate at the sight of the king over Link's tortured body. She pushed the king out of the way as she knelt over him.

"Who are you?" the king asked, miffed. She didn't answer, but injected a syringe filled with a clear liquid into Link's arm. As soon as she did so, the screaming subsided.

"They're all over the castle, sir!" she cried. "I would have been here sooner, but they were everywhere! The guards are trying to hold them back, but there's so many…"

"Is he alive?" the king asked, looking at Link. Before either of them could check for a pulse, a swarm of ReDeads dropped from the ceiling, ninja-like. One jumped on the woman, and the king wrenched it away from her and decapitated it. He kept moving, kept killing, kept destroying anything in his path. While he worked, the woman shut all the entryways into the room, barring them with tables and any type of obstacle that she could find. When the room was cleared, the king and she looked at each other once more.

"My name is Ruto," she told him. "I'm a doctor."

"Well, I'm the king," he said. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she said, returning to Link. She gripped his wrist, swore, and leaned over his silent form. She whispered indecipherable things to him, and the king prayed to the Goddesses while he scanned for more ReDeads. He saw a window that Ruto had shut and ran to it. He looked for something to bar it with to support it even more, but was too late. A ReDead leapt through it and tackled the king to the ground. The king smelled its rancid breath, looking at its rotting flesh, before it was ripped away from him. He saw Link standing above him, holding his own sword he had dropped. Link through the ReDead to the ground and stabbed it through the heart. It screamed as it bled black blood and died.

"Welcome back," the king greeted Link as the younger man helped him to his feet.

"Nice to be back," Link said. The king looked at him and could still see how tired and worn and pained that he was, but was thrilled that he was alive. He had received the antidote soon enough. "Let's go find Zelda!"

"No!" the king cried out. Link looked at him with surprise. "We have to do something first. Please, follow me. And find your own weapon," the king said, taking his sword back, his brows furrowed together. Link and Ruto quickly found makeshift weapons and followed the king as he led them through the castle. Link took shots at ReDeads that leapt out at them from the shadows as they raced by.

"Ruto, go home!" Link yelled at her as they ran through all the chaos. "You shouldn't be here! I'm sorry you got dragged into this!"

"It's a little late for that, isn't it?" Ruto snorted, clubbing a ReDead. It fell off the railing and down a flight of stairs. "Oh, yeah!"

"I think you're enjoying this too much."

"No, I'm not."

"You could at least not laugh."

"What else is there to do, Link? Cry?" Ruto pointed out, letting off another maniacal laugh. "Bring it!" she shouted, staying behind to battle with a group of soldiers. Link didn't have time to encourage her to come, and against his better judgment, continued alone with the king.

As they progressed, they left the battle behind and the noise turned into an eerie silence. The king led him up a hallway that he'd never been in before. He had no idea where they were, but the king obviously did. He opened the ornate doors and led Link through. The two men shoved objects in front of the door, hopefully keeping the ReDeads at bay. Link turned and took in the small chamber. It was about the size of a high school gymnasium, but felt much smaller due to the huge shelves placed in the room, leaving small walkways that only allowed one person at a time to go through. The shelves contained a wide variety of items and none seemed to be in any order. There were books, papers, and weapons.

"Sir, where are we?" Link asked, following the king between the shelves. The king scanned, looking for something.

"I would ordinarily make you guess on your own, but we are short on time," said the king. "Over the years, when the Hero has finished his quest or died, what should happen to his belongings? Why, one way or another, they find their way here. They always do."

Link followed the king through the winding shelves, his mouth agape. Inexplicably he felt drawn to the place, as if he belonged. As he passed each bow, each ocarina, he felt as if he wanted to pick it up and use it. He had the strange feeling that, if he did, he would know exactly how to play the ocarina, although he'd never touched one before.

"Are you joining the guard again?" the king asked. "I'd be tickled pink to have you back, saying we survive this day and Hyrule doesn't fall to Ganondorf."

"It won't," Link assured him. "I won't let that happen."

"_Now _you won't," the king said, walking up an altar. Link followed him. The king stopped on top of a rug and stood in front of a door that had the Triforce carved into it. He sung a lullaby, a lullaby that Link recognized. It was a song made famous by the legend. It was the song that only the Royal Family or their messengers could learn. It was Zelda's Lullaby. With a colossal grinding noise, the wall parted, revealing a hidden chamber inside. Link followed the king, taking in the surroundings.

"Take it," the king said softly, gesturing to a pedestal in the middle of the room, into which a sword was driven. "If you can pull it out, you are surely the Hero of Time. You will need it to defeat Ganondorf. It is the Master Sword, the very same that the first Hero of Time used."

Link knew what an honor this was. He slowly and respectfully walked up to the pedestal, placing his hands around the hilt of the sword. He thought about the heroes before him who had slain beasts with this same blade. He thought about how victorious they had been in past lives. He lastly thought about Zelda, the terrified look on her face as she was kidnapped by the King of Evil. With rage and Hylian pride in his heart, Link drew the sword from the pedestal. A white light illuminated the hidden chamber, causing the king to look away. Link's jaw was set in a fierce way, and he was ready for battle. When the light faded, Link lowered the sword and faced the king, who was staring at him, open-mouthed. He was in awe by how much Link resembled each drawing and stained glass window he had ever seen of the Hero of Time.

"Take this," the king said, bustling to him and pulling a shield from the wall. He handed it to him, and Link donned it. "You can imagine who used that, as well," he said, continuing on down the way, past a large array of weapons. "And this," he said, "is the final thing you need." He picked the weapon up and carried it to Link. He handed it to him. "These, my son, are the light arrows."

"How do I use these, sir? They look like a normal bow and quiver," Link answered, his eyes wide with awe as he took the famous weapon from the king.

"It is in your heart," the king answered, his voice soft. "Love will win. Love will always win, Link. You must use the purity and innocence of your love to fill these arrows with the spirit of light. Use your love for the land. Use your love for your human rights. Use your love for my daughter. Use it all as fuel. With love, you will triumph."

"Thank you," Link said. "I am the most honored man in Hyrule today. But sir, you mentioned my love for Zelda a moment ago. I told you earlier that we realized that the same mother raised us. That love must not be so innocent and pure," he said, his voice filled with shame. "It is wrong. She is my sister."

"Well. About that…"

* * *

><p>The small chapel was inside the castle. It was at the top of the north tower, which happened to be the tallest. No services were ever held there. It had been built ages ago for anyone who wanted to visit it and speak to the Goddesses. Sunday services were held in the Temple of Time. The chapel was meant for only those who had an urge to worship and adore their chosen god or goddess in solitude. It had wooden floors and many old, dusty pews. The altar was plain, decorated by only a large, solid-gold Triforce. Each side was around three feet long. The Triforce was rumored to carry the blessing of the Goddesses. Supposedly if one with a pure heart touched it, they would listen and grant a wish. Ganondorf, however, had been unable to touch it. I know- I'd watched him. He had tried and had been very frustrated. Apparently the first time the Triforce had broken into three pieces. Now, it would do nothing. Before he had found the organ, he had placed a spell around the Triforce. The spell was a violent purple and black smoke that floated around it ominously. He was trying to convert the powers of the Triforce and was succeeding. The golden power was being sucked away before my eyes. When the gold turned to stone, it would operate with the opposite force- it would project evil and control onto everything, with Ganondorf as the master. Currently the Triforce was a pale yellow, in stark contrast to the rich gold it usually was. There was an organ at the back of the chapel, at which sat a very large man with a very scary demeanor. As he began to play, he at first only touched the keys. He gingerly began to string the notes together into short staccato phrases, before finally pulling them together to play an enchanting song. As he played, the noontime sun spilled through the stained glass windows, illuminating every dust particle that floated through the stale air.<p>

I was sitting near the altar, attempting to meditate. When Ganondorf had taken me here, he had placed me in the corner of the room and made a cage around me, using his connection to evil. The cage bars were made of the same black smoke he had used to bind me. I had managed to pull myself into a sitting position in the time we had been there, waiting for Link to arrive. Chains made of black smoke magically bound my wrists and feet together. As time passed, the smoke made little cuts where it touched. My wrists and ankles were very sore and bleeding at this point. I managed to keep the pain in check by sitting very still and praying. I tried to focus in on my connection to the Triforce, but as long as I was touched by Darkness, it was very hard to think pure thoughts. All I could think of was death and destruction. Ganondorf's train of thought began much clearer to me, and I felt compelled to join him and reign as his queen over Hyrule.

I felt the compulsion, but I would fight it. I would never give in.

Ganondorf chuckled.

"It is hard for you, is it not?" he asked me, his organ playing never ceasing. I answered him with silence, closing my eyes and imagining the sweeping fields I loved. I recalled the singing of the birds, their hymn ringing with freedom. I knew if I gave into him, there would be no freedom, no free will. We would all be slaves to evil. That was not acceptable. "Fight it all you want. You will eventually succumb like your brother did. You mortals always do, once evil has chosen you."

I imagined Link and I swirling around Goron City. My arms were around his strong shoulders, his on my small waist. I remembered his handsome face as he looked at me that night, when I thought he was going to kiss me. I thought about his beautiful blue eyes, the same color as the waters of Lake Hylia. I remembered long ago, going on a fishing trip with all my friends. There was a picture of Malon and I from that day, at Lake Hylia, our hair in two braids and ball caps shoved on top. We were smiling and laughing, our eyes are squinting from the excessive sunlight. Our faces were all smooshed together and I am the one taking the picture. Freedom, laughter, fun, and summertime. Nothing would ever be the same were I to listen to Ganondorf.

"Why won't you give in?" he shouted angrily. I snapped my eyes open in surprise. I hadn't noticed the organ ceasing to play. Ganondorf was now beside me, outside my cage. I was suddenly grateful that it meant he could not touch me. His eyes were filled with fire and waves of hatred emanated from him. He carried so much power with him that it would have been very easy to crumble.

"Because with you, Hyrule would not be Hyrule," I answered, my voice strong. "Were I to join you, could you promise me free will? Would I be able to walk through the fields without fear? Or would they be contaminated by your hatred? Would you burn them all, burn all those who don't follow you? Would you slaughter even women and children, if they chose to not follow your path? Would you-"

"Silence!" Ganondorf shouted. His words resounded in the small chapel. I held my tongue but did not show fear. He glowered down at me and I met his fiery eyes unafraid. He then suddenly turned and exited the chapel, leaving me alone. I vaguely wondered what he was doing. I was not alone for long before the doors opened again and another person raced in.

Link had found me.

"Link!" I exclaimed. Just like in the flashback, our eyes met. His face lit up and he ran to me, stopping in front of the bars. "Don't touch it! The bars will burn you!" I warned him. He frowned and listened to me.

"Where is he?" he demanded.

"I don't know, he just left," I answered. "You don't think he left, knowing you were coming, to set the chapel on fire or bring it down or something?"

"He wants a fight. He will face us," Link said, his face like stone. "That's good, though. He won't leave us here for long. We have time. Zelda, I've talked to your dad."

"Did he take you to the Hero's Shrine?" I asked, seeing the sword and shield. "Did he give you the light arrows?"

"Yes. But that's not what I have to tell you," he said, talking quickly. "Listen, we don't have time, don't interrupt me. But he gave me the watered down version before we had to part- Zelda, you're not my sister."

Despite his order not to interrupt, I gasped. "What? But the picture!"

"I know. It was the same woman. The queen," he said. We both heard heavy footsteps, and he protectively arranged himself in front of my cage. "But we aren't related. She's not my mother."

"But she raised you!"

"We'll talk about it later, when we have time. And trust me, we will," he assured me through the bars. "We'll take him down, somehow. Different than last time. After this is over and we have all the time in the world, we'll talk about it. Zelda Harkinian, I love you. Will you marry me?"

"_What?_" I cried, totally shocked.

"I know, I know. Now's not the moment. Even though I left, I never stopped loving you, not for a day. And I'm not talking about the first time," Link said. The footsteps were getting louder. My heartbeat increased with the ominous sound. "I left again last night and that was a mistake. I promise I will apologize a thousand more times. I will be sorry until the day I die. This could have been avoided if I had been there to protect you. I want every day of my life to start with you and end with you, Zelda. You are my best friend. I wake up in the morning thinking only of you and I retire at night dreaming of you. I have made mistakes and I guarantee I will make more. But there's no one I'd rather make them with than you. We were engaged once, and I'd like to be again. Will you marry me?"

"How touching," said the King of Evil softly, slowly opening the door and locking it behind him.

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><p>AN: Hey guys. I just wanted to say, thank you to the people who DID review last chapter, I really appreciated it. I don't remember if I responded to them or not, but I've been really, REALLY busy lately and I've been having issues getting on. You guys are AWESOME! I baked you a figurative cherry pie, so here ya go, enjoy *hands reviewers steaming cherry pie* And for everyone else. I wouldn't have even posted this chapter if I could do only an author's note, but since there's a rule about that, I reluctantly decided to post this anyway. I did my math and I realized that only three point one percent of everyone who read the last chapter reviewed, and that kind of irritated me a bit, to be honest. Sorry if I sound cranky, but it's kind of a slap in the face when I work so hard on projects like this and people can't even take maybe a minute to give a meaningful, thought-out review. I don't expect everyone to (although that would be DIVINE), but less than four percent is a little ridiculous. On that note, I will not, and I mean I will NOT, post chapter ten and the epilogue until I get at least fifteen, twenty reviews for this chapter. That sounds high, because that's about how many I've got total, but seeing the numbers of people who read consistently but don't review makes me know that this is possible. So, sorry if I sound like an angry old bat (I promise! I'm not! D: ), I don't mean to be. See ya next chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Well, I didn't reach my goal of reviews, but thank you who reviewed any way :) Much appreciated. Part of this change in heart is that I am ECSTATIC 'cause I just finished my first college class (I'll be a senior in HS in September) with a ninety nine point six percent! I'm pretty freakin' happy, I wound up with a two thirty three out of two hundred on the final. I have not been this proud of myself in a while! So I thought I'd share my happiness with whoever finds this :)

Now, I usually save my author's notes for the end of the chapter, but I have a few things to say before this one gets rollin' (Winebibber! Codswallop! Shenanigans!). There are parts of this chapter that are SUPPOSED to be confusing. This whole ending sequence, chapter eight/nineish to the epilogue, is supposed to be confusing and rapid. They WILL get explained in the epilogue, don't fret. Just read slowly in the confusing parts (you'll know when you get there, 'cause you'll either be confused, and you'll know, or you'll understand, and it won't be a problem), take your time. You're not really supposed to be able to tell what's going on, but you might be able to. Just keep in mind that the hallucination scenes are symbolic. Now, without further ado, I present to y'all the FINAL chapter:

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><p><em>Chapter Ten<em>

Ganondorf laughed as he finished locking the door and advanced towards them. "How interesting. You've had your whole lives, but you wait until your final minutes to pledge your undying love to each other. You mortals have a strange way of living."

Link said nothing. He adjusted himself so he was in between Zelda and Ganondorf, even though no human could pass through the bars and Ganondorf couldn't really harm her. It just felt right. It seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do.

"Why defend her, young Hero?" Ganondorf asked almost politely, tilting his head and folding his hands behind his back. He smiled a little, devious smile and walked along the wall, his cape swishing behind him. "You both will die anyway. Why prolong the inevitable? This all could have been avoided, you know. Had you stayed with her last night, she would not have sought me out and we would not be here."

"You're wrong," Link said. "This was not inevitable. It is our story and our fate. The same tale has been told, and they all end the same, Ganondorf. I kill you. That's the ending. So I'd get ready if I were you."

Ganondorf's lip curled into a snarl as he prowled along the wall, panther-like. He was edging himself up towards the Triforce, which was now almost completely surrounded by darkness. Link started to formulate a plan in his head. Just as the gears began to whirl, Ganondorf pounced. From the inside if her cage, Zelda shrieked and began to convulse. She beat herself against the floor as the two began to fight, totally out of control of herself. She knew the Darkness was causing her to do this. No one could have Darkness literally wrapped around them and not be affected. It was just beginning, and Link knew it too. It was going to try to possess her.

"Don't give in!" Link shouted to her as he sparred with Ganondorf, who had materialized his own long, black sword. "Listen to your heart!"

Zelda screamed and lost touch with reality.

_She was wearing a pink tee shirt that ironically said, "Princess" on it, written over a cartoon crown. She wore jean overalls and a pair of pink Converse. Her curly blonde hair was in two braids. She was four years old._

_Her brother was fourteen. He held his younger sister's hand as he led her up the meadow. He walked with her, smiling at the simplicity and joy of her innocent_ _laugh._

"_Hide and seek, Sheiky! Let's play!" she cried out, twirling away from his hand._

"_Zelda, don't let go of me," he warned. "There are bad guys out here. They'll snatch you if you don't stay with me!" He listened to her tinkling laughter as she spun into the trees, away from him. He sighed and as he began to follow her._

_He then heard the voice, the voice that had been haunting his nightmares. He quickened his pace and tried not to look away from the path as his thoughts roamed. He'd been dreaming of horrible things lately. He'd dreamed of death and destruction and torture. He dreamed of his own sister, coiled and helpless and bleeding beneath his feet, and in his dreams he was proud. He would do it a hundred more times, as long as the voice told him how.  
><em>

_The voice was always with him now._

_He had tried to resist it by going to the chapel and praying after his dreams. He would try and connect with the Goddesses, but they didn't listen or speak to him like the voice._

_It whispered to him from the shadows, muttering words he couldn't quite make out. Feeling a strange allure, he looked to the trees and saw the pair of glowing, red eyes peeking out at him from the shadows. He felt the call to join it, but his sister's face popped into his mind._

"_Zelda!" he called, a little creeped out. "Zelda, it's time to go home!" He looked away from the eyes, but the voice whispered to him._

"_I will find you. I am a part of you, young prince. You cannot run forever. I am here."_

"_Zelda!" he called, jogging now. He ran away from the voice, but heard it whispering all around him. He had been running and fighting for too long. He had called on the voice's terrible strength to fulfill his own wishes. The voice had helped him cheat on tests and skip out on chores. The voice had made all the girls like him. The voice had made him handsome, where as before he had been socially and developmentally awkward. The voice had done all this for him, and now the voice would come for him. Everything comes with a price._

"_Zelda, I give up!" he yelled as he ran through the trees. The shadows were closing in on him. "Zelda, time to go home!"_

_She was hiding not far away, watching him, her eyes wide. She saw the sweat on his skin, the fear in his eyes. She watched as the darkness took him down with a scream and rolled him onto his back. She watched him writhing and shouting in pain as the darkness filled him, stealing away his spirit. She watched the darkness finally fade, leaving her brother almost exactly the same as he had been before. As he rose to his feet, she noticed his previously chocolate eyes now had a tinge of red to them, very unnoticeable unless one was looking for it. He approached her slowly and soundlessly._

"_Zelda, it's time to go," he said, his voice sounding hollow. His eyes looked empty. She stared up at him, her own blue eyes wide. Wordlessly, she took his cold hand in hers and let him lead her home._

She was still writhing on the floor.

"Zelda, the Darkness is attacking you! He's making it!" Link shouted, ducking away from Ganondorf's blows. "It's showing you things that you don't believe, memories that aren't yours! Stay strong!"

"Silence, fool!" Ganondorf growled, shooting a ray of shadow at Link. Link shouted out and was knocked into the back wall by the door. He felt his back crack as he came into contact with the old boards. He heard and saw the chapel sway and was sure, for a horrifying moment, the whole turret was going to go down. However, it continued to hold steady. Link rolled out of the way and was on his feet again, shielding himself as he dueled with the King of Evil. Ganondorf brought his sword down and Link met it with a metallic clang. Their swords clashed again and again, the two men equally matched in skill.

"The memories are symbolic, in case you were wondering," Ganondorf said conversationally, as if the two were casually working together instead of trying to kill each other. "And yes, I am causing them. I'm working on converting your princess to darkness as well as the Triforce."

"You're sick," Link said, spitting. He lunged towards Ganondorf who flicked him away as if he were nothing.

Link made a dive towards Ganondorf and the King of Evil leapt back, and seemingly vanished. Link ducked behind his shield, peeking over the top. He heard a chuckle and looked up to see Ganondorf hanging from the rafters. Counting on his Goddess-gifted agility, Link made a jump at the wall, bounced off, and swung from a rafter from the ceiling. Quick as a flash, he flipped himself up onto his feet and drew his sword. Ganondorf was already on his feet, waiting.

"Impressive," said Ganondorf condescendingly. "But, tsk, tsk. You _will_ have to try harder than that."

With a roar, Link lunged again.

"_Don't leave me," she whispered, pleading. She was now a young adult. "They're coming. They'll get me."_

"_I'll be right back," Link told her, kissing her hand and heading out the door, leaving. He was always leaving. He never stayed when she needed him._

_She sat alone in the kitchen on her stool, waiting for his return. She began to hear the voices and bit her lip, rocking back and forth nervously. She heard their laughter, their high-pitched, evil, laughter._

"_Hello!" one of the imps said. It was hanging from the windowsill and had impossibly twisted its head upside down. It had scaly, violet skin and electric green eyes. It stuck out its tongue and blew a raspberry at her. Gasping, she stood up and covered her ears, trying to ignore the awful voices._

"_Hello, Princess!" another one said when she entered the living room. She clutched the wall and turned back around. She ran out the front door and began walking through the narrow alleyways. She was wearing a black skirt that touched her ankles and a gray, long-sleeved shirt. She had a black, netted veil over her blonde hair. She pulled the veil tighter as she wound her way through the town, trying to avoid the voices. But, they followed. They always followed. They cackled and spat at her as she passed._

"_Link! Link! Link, where are you?" she cried out, running. "Help me! They're coming! You promised you would come back! Where are you?"_

_As she rounded the corner, she saw a slim, dark man waiting for her. He leaned against the wall, casually, beckoning her to come towards him. Like a child, she slowly walked to him._

"_I can make them stop," he said softly. "I believe you. I can help you. I will protect you."_

"_Do you promise?" she asked him._

"_I promise," he vowed, holding her in his arms. He stroked her soft hair and sang to her a lullaby. Slowly, the voices in her head stopped. Even her own voice gradually faded away until the only one she could hear was the olive-skinned man with the fiery hair._

Link spun around the room dodging blows left and right. The screams of the ReDeads and their victims were getting closer and closer as the battle below crept up the old, wooden stairs of the turret. Link wondered how much longer it would take before the battle found itself right outside the door.

"Die, Hero of Time!" growled Ganondorf, bringing his sword down on Link. Link grunted and spun away, plunging his sword towards an opening he spotted near his enemy's shoulder. He hit his target and Ganondorf shouted out with pain. He reflexively jumped backwards and lost his balance, toppling down and landing on the wood floor with a mighty bang.

Link jumped down to meet him, his sword at the ready. Their blades met again, but then Ganondorf thrusted his hands out on either side of him, sending dark magic shooting out all around. The dark magic instantly shattered the stained glass windows, showing Hyrule's burning fields and besieged buildings in the distance. When Link noticed this, Ganondorf seized his opportunity and sliced at his face. Link saw this at the last possible moment and jumped away but was just a little too late- the King of Evil's sword had pierced through the skin on his cheek. The red line began to weep blood as Zelda continued to scream and convulse in her shadow cage.

_She felt cold, inside and out. She didn't so much walk as glide across the grassy forest floor. The mist all around her shrouded her from the view of any pedestrian that may be walking. Her skirts swooshed around her as she came into a clearing._

_He was sitting on a boulder, his head in his hands. His shoulders were heaving and he was making a series of what she first thought were awkward grunts. She then realized he was crying. She felt no pity._

"_You didn't come for me," she said coldly. At her voice, his head popped up. His blue eyes were swollen and red._

"_Zelda?" he asked, surprised. "You're alive?"_

"_You didn't come back when you promised that you would," she said again. He leapt down from his boulder in a fluid movement and jogged to meet her. When he tried to touch her arm she stepped away from him. He looked at her, hurt obvious in his eyes. "It's too late. They got me. I'm one of them now."_

"_No, you're not," he said. "You're still Zelda. You're still my girl."_

"_I am one of them," she repeated. Alarm began to show in his eyes. _

"_No you're not," he repeated with more persuasion. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't come. You're just having a spell right now, you'll be yourself in a bit."_

"_A spell?" she asked delicately, tilting her head. "A spell of what, insanity?"_

"_No, that's not what I said," he said a little too quickly._

"_It's what you are thinking," she answered. "It's what you all think. I know. The voice told me so."_

"_Come on Zelda, you're not yourself right now," he said nervously, reaching again for her arm. "We can go find help for you."_

_She pulled away again and made eye contact with him. She spoke again, very slowly, very deliberately. "He appeared to me."_

"_Who did?"_

"_The master."_

"_Who?"_

"_The master came to me," she said. "He made the voices stop. His is the only one I hear."_

"_Fight it, Zelda," he told her. "Fight him! Don't give in! Stay yourself!"_

"_You're too late," she said, her mouth twisting into a mischievous smile. "This could have been avoided if you had stayed. You know how it is when I am alone. I have chosen to be with someone who will always be with me. We all make choices. And for every choice, there is a consequence." With the last ominous pronouncement, she looked up to a tree branch. She stared with such intensity that his gaze followed hers. When he looked, he saw that a noose had materialized from the branch. His face drained of blood as she set her eyes on him once more._

"_Don't do this," he said, his tone switching to pleading. "You're not yourself. This isn't you."_

"_But you are wrong. This is me. He allows me to think for myself," she said, staring at her companion. He tried to run, but her telekinetic powers overcame his own and he was drawn to the noose as if an invisible hand were pulling him. He awkwardly struggled against the invisible force, but he was no match. The Triforce on her hand was already ominously glowing._

"_I'm sorry!" he yelled as the hand lifted him into the air. "I'll stay with you! I'll never leave again!"_

"_You are too late," she said. "We all make choices. You chose wrong. And now you must pay the price."_

_She watched ruthlessly as the telekinetic force that he was fighting beat him. She watched his legs dance when he was hung from the rope. She watched his body grow still. She watched his cold, lifeless eyes, his mouth still open in betrayed shock._

_From the shadows, another man appeared. He wore the battle armor of the Gerudos. On the back of his olive hand glowed a Triforce identical to her own. The breeze blew about his fiery hair as he walked towards her. She waited for him._

"_Master," she said breathlessly as he advanced towards her. "I choose you. I choose to succumb to the darkness." She embraced him, wrapping her arms around his neck, twining her hands in his fiery hair._

"_This is different," he said, his voice low. "The princess never chose darkness in the past. As pleasant as this is, I never expected it for a moment."_

_Zelda smiled over his shoulder and caught her reflection in a small pond. Her eyes were glowing red._

Link didn't know how much longer he could go on. He was tired and Ganondorf seemed to be showing no weakness. He carefully watched him as they dueled, scanning his every moment, searching for an opening. He could only stay strong for so long, and the longer they fought, the angrier he grew. Link was hoping he would grow careless and forget to cover a spot. Then, he saw his chance!

With a roar of victory, Link slashed down on Ganondorf's hand. With a cry, Ganondorf released his sword. It clattered to the ground and he threw his hands up in the air. Link pointed his sword to his throat and forced him to the ground. Link stood directly over him and looked down into the King of Evil's face. He was panting and sweating. His neatly gelled hair had come undone. The whites of his eyes were more yellowy than white. Spit frothed around the corners of his mouth. The two glared at each other and listened to Zelda's irregular panting and the battle raging on around them.

"You hear all this death and destruction?" Link asked, his voice low. "You are the source of all this. No one will follow you. The people will rebel. You are a worthless existence and a pitiful man. It's no surprise that your mother left a disgusting worm like you alone in the desert."

"If you are going to kill me, Hero, do it now," Ganondorf said.

"No, I want you to hear this," Link said. "I know your history. I know when you were born, the Gerudos were disgusted by you. They saw your hair, your devilish eyes and knew you were no good from the start. Your mother abandoned you. Your father killed himself. From the beginning, you have been a worthless existence. You would do better if you had never been born, you filthy mongrel."

"A peasant like you should not insult a king like me," said the King of Evil as he lay on the floor, unarmed and at the mercy of Link's sword.

"A king like you? King of what, rats? An army of the dead?" Link mocked.

"Kill me now. I will die with dignity," Ganondorf said.

"You lost that long ago. But if you wish…" Link said, bracing himself for the final blow. Ganondorf tensed. Even Zelda stopped her racket making for a moment. "Nah. Not like this. See, I know you. I know that physical wounds will only hinder you. So even if I were to chop your head off right now, it would inconveniently reattach itself somehow and you would come back another day."

"How do you plan to end this, then?" asked Ganondorf. With a smile, Link dropped his sword.

"I'm glad you asked," he said, reaching behind him and drawing the bow and arrow Zelda's father had given him.

"The Light Arrows!" Ganondorf said, real terror in his eyes now. Link did not respond. The time for talk was over. This ended now. He drew the arrow and pointed it at Ganondorf's heart. He imagined Zelda's sweet face, the purity of the water of Lake Hylia, the spirit of the Kokiri. He saw the loyalty of the Gorons and the honesty of the Zoras. He saw the innocence of the Kokiri. As he channeled all these thoughts, the arrow suddenly began to glow an ethereal gold. He knew it was time.

As he started to fire the arrow, he suddenly was slammed by the ominous feeling that this was the wrong thing to do. The legends echoed through his ears, all of them whispering that this would be a waste. If he shot Ganondorf now, nothing would be fixed. Not with the darkness still here. Without really any thought or foresight, he aimed away from Ganondorf and shot over his head, piercing through the darkness that was wrapping itself around the real Triforce on the altar. When the light hit it, it screamed. The wail nearly deafened Link and even Ganondorf clapped his hands over his ears and rolled over. The ground beneath them shook as if an earthquake were happening and the Triforce grew so bright that they were all blinded. Then, as quickly as it had happened, it stopped.

The darkness was gone and the Triforce was safe. Zelda's smoke bars had disappeared, as well as the shadow chains that had bound her. Her eyes were wide and she appeared stunned. Link leapt over Ganondorf's body towards the Triforce. Ganondorf tried to grab his ankle but was too late. Link was going, going! He was going to touch the Triforce and make the wish that the legends promised. Just as he neared it, a bolt of purple shot out, stinging him and sending him flying away. When he looked up, he saw that Ganondorf was concentrating his magic yet again on the Triforce, surrounding it in a purple barrier that Link could not cross. However, the Triforce now appeared to be fighting back. As the violet wind whipped around it, it was shooting out lightning and striking it. Had the scene not been so nerve wrecking, the sight would have amazed Link.

"He's blocking it, Zelda!" he shouted at Zelda, who was now picking herself up. "He can't put the same spell he had earlier on it, not now. He has to focus his magic on it now! Yours is stronger than mine, I can't do it! Zelda, you have to overpower him!"

"I don't know how, Link," she answered, her voice like ice as she curiously drew closer to Ganondorf. Her blue eyes were fixed on the King of Evil. "You never showed me. I tried to tell you I don't know how to control my powers. You failed."

"Zel?" Link said, shocked by her behavior as she drew even nearer to Ganondorf.

"We all make choices," she said. "And they all have consequences."

"Zelda, it's the darkness! It's talking to you! Fight it!" Link said, as close as he could get to the Triforce.

"I'm myself," she said. "I am making my own decisions. I have chosen," she whispered, embracing Ganondorf, a sultry smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck, twining her hands in his fiery hair. Link's eyes went as wide as dinner plates and he felt a heaving sensation when he realized he had been betrayed. "I have chosen," she whispered again into Ganondorf's ear. With surprise, Ganondorf lowered his hand and placed it on the small of the princess' back. She turned and gave Link a look, and he suddenly realized what she had done.

She had done the totally unexpected thing and caused a distraction. Ganondorf had dropped his hold on the Triforce. With a victorious cry, Link leapt forward and touched the gold. At the same time, Zelda leapt away, throwing herself as far away as she could. Ganondorf screamed.

_The Triforce has been touched by a pure soul,_ said a heavenly voice that thundered all around them. _Tell me, Link Finlay. What do you wish?_

"I wish for him to be trapped away to wherever he came from, and that all his creatures go with him!" Link shouted to the voice. Without further ado, light chains began to wrap around Ganondorf just as he had made happen to Zelda. He screamed again.

"DAMN YOU LINK! DAMN YOU ZELDA! DAMN YOU ALL!" he shouted as Link ran across the shaking floor to Zelda and protectively stood in front of her. Ganondorf crashed his fists into the floor and darkness shout out all around before he was vanished away in a porthole of light along with the Triforce, screaming all the way. He was not totally gone, however. The darkness that he had shot out instantly exploded, instantly setting the chapel to flame. It began to quake and heave.

"RUN!" Link shouted at Zelda, keeping his arm protectively over her head. They ran to the door.

"It's locked!" she yelled as she tried to open it so they could escape. The last thing that Link saw were her beautiful blue eyes looking into his before the chapel collapsed and the tallest and oldest turret of the castle fell all the way to the ground.


	11. Epilogue

**A/N:** Hey guys. I must say, I am super duper sorry this took so long. The only excuse that I'll give (I hate when people give excuses) is that I have been really, REALLY, genuinely busy with a ton of crap lately. A few words on _The Medallion_: Thank you guys so much, the ones that have been following from the beginning, and the ones who recently jumped on the wagon. This story was by far the one that I have had the most fun writing, and I'd almost like to write a sequel to it (and I don't do sequels). What do y'all think? ;P

Now, without further ado, the moment you've been waiting for, what I've been procrastinating for two weeks now, the final chapter (kind of):

* * *

><p><em>Epilogue<em>

There was no transition. I went from plummeting down to the ground, ON FIRE, to simply… not. I was suddenly standing on the island in the middle of Lake Hylia. Fog rose from the water in soothing waves. The water lapped at the island edges. Unable to resist, I took off my shoes and walked towards the edge. I stood in the water and squished the mud around my toes, feeling the cold water on my toes and ankles.

"You've done well, Zelda."

I jumped when I heard the voice. I turned around, waiting for something else awful to happen to me, when I saw my mother, standing by the tree. She was wearing the elegant white dress with a pink slip underneath, covering the slit that went all the way up her legs. She was wearing the ghost of a glittering, diamond crown that would be mine someday. She had long, dark blonde hair and midnight blue eyes. She looked just like me, but she was slightly darker in all her features.

"Mom?" I asked, stunned. "What are you doing here? Oh, Goddesses! Am I dead?"

"Of course not, love," she said to me. "You have joined me in the spirit world for a short time."

"Why?"

"The Goddesses have smiled on you once again. Your life and Link's have both been spared in the fall that should have killed you. You will wake up when we are done here and find that you are relatively uninjured," my mother told me. I continued to gape at her. "I suppose you have many, many questions. Where would you like to begin?"

"Um… The visions I had," I said, picking the most recent thing. "What were those? What caused them? What did they mean?"

"The darkness caused them," said my mother. When she spoke, an angry look came over her face and her fists clenched together. "When pure, unadulterated darkness comes so close as to touch the flesh of a soul as pure as yours, it causes side affects. Did you not feel angry? Hopeless? Despair?"

"I blamed that on the fact that I was imprisoned by Ganondorf," I said.

"A good deduction, but it was probably the darkness causing those feelings. I wouldn't say so if you hadn't had the visions," Mom told me. "I saw your visions through your eyes as they happened, love. The first one, you saw yourself as a child through your brother's eyes, correct?"

I nodded.

"The darkness was trying to convert you to be its slave. It first tried by showing you how it made him succumb. The darkness first spoke to Sheik when he was young. He was as much destined to listen as you and Link were to stop it, so he really had no chance. However, I know that had we listened to him-" the queen's voice choked off.

"Mom, there's nothing you could have done," I said a tad awkwardly, trying to sound soothing. "Once Ganondorf decides who he wants, there's not usually much anyone could do. He was very sly. It was a very good plan," I finished lamely. My mother smiled weakly, and then continued on.

"Sheik allowed the darkness to help him achieve greatness. He asked favors of it, not thinking of the consequences. He told no one, and there was no one to help him when the darkness took him. It was similar to what you saw in the vision, but of course you were not there. Sheik was alone when it happened. The visions were exaggerated. They were not meant to show you the truth; they were meant to scare you into giving in. Ganondorf's spirit somehow overtook Sheik's, and he continued to live in the place of my son. No one on earth knew.

"In the second vision, Link left you. This was playing on your fear of abandonment. Since he left you the first time, you've been terrified of being alone. He left you a second time last night, leaving you feeling afraid and betrayed. The darkness showed you that he would leave again. It showed you the voices, and the voices began to whisper to you. You started to go crazy. You left with the voices chasing you. The voices represented temptation. You ran from them and did not listen. However, when the King of Evil himself appeared to you, you saw yourself give in. Again, the darkness was trying to show you that was what you were meant to do.

"Keep in mind that when I say, 'You saw _yourself_', I do not mean you literally gave in during the vision sequence. I mean the darkness showed you a picture of yourself giving in. Does this make sense?

"The final vision consisted of Link's death and your total acceptance of Ganondorf. It played on the secret desire of yours to punish Link for leaving you. Don't make that face at me; I know that you have never wanted for a moment to kill Link. But you have had the secret desire to punish him. In leaving you, he was wrong. The darkness took this desire and blew it out of proportion. Then Ganondorf appeared, and you accepted him. However, in the acceptance, light first began to shine through."

"Do tell," I said dryly. The visions were not a subject I found enjoyable to discuss. They were dark and awful and horrifying and I had no idea how my mother could suggest that light had a place in the third and most terrible one, where I- figuratively, of course- had murdered the love of my life.

"Light showed you how to beat darkness," my mother said. "Don't you remember? I know you used it." She waited for me, her dark blue eyes watching my countenance. I looked at her for a moment, trying to remember. When in the spirit world, it was kind of difficult to recall things that had happened in the realm of the living. At least it was for those actually alive. I assumed it was an annoyance that would fall away when I joined the spirit world for real.

"Ganondorf… said… he was surprised," I said, struggling for words.

"And what did you have to do to defeat him?" the queen asked me patiently.

"Catch him off guard," I said. "I pretended to accept him in real life, and he dropped his hold on the Triforce."

"Why did you do this?"

"I just knew that I had to," I said, biting my lip and running my hand through my hair. "I can't really explain it. I just knew."

"Because light told you," the queen said, smiling. "It showed you how to defeat Ganondorf, and you did. When you surprised Ganondorf, it enabled Link to make a wish on the Triforce to banish Ganondorf and his army. The darkness is gone- for now, at least."

"What happened to the Triforce when the chapel fell?" I asked.

"It disappeared into a new location," the queen said. "That's what always happens. No living person knows where it is right now. No one will find it until the next time the legend is to happen."

"That won't involve me, right?"

"It will be after your body is dead. Your same soul, however, will be resurrected."

"So Link's reincarnation theory is true."

"Yes," the queen confirmed. "Link is a smart man, as was his predecessor."

"Whose mother are you?" I asked finally, breathlessly. "I have to know. Are Link and I really brother and sister? He said no, but…"

The queen's expression of jubilation faded into sorrow. "I promised you I would tell you nothing but the truth. Here is a dark part of my past. Before we begin, I apologize for failing you as a mother.

"My best friend was practically my sister, growing up. I grew up, a middle class girl trying to find her place in the city- I was married into the Royal Family, not born into it. I attended a wedding, where my friend was married to a glassmaker in Kakariko Village. The king did not like this. He hated the glassmaker, and adored my friend. He believed she could do better. He did not like the glassmaker because he had once been a general, but had been demoted on suspicions of treason to the country. There was no solid proof, though, so he could not be banished. He was dismissed from the military and started his career as a glassmaker. The king did not like it when I visited the couple. He deemed it unsafe. I visited them in secrecy, not from the king, but from the public. I have always despised publicity. The public never knew that I was a friend to a possible traitor.

"I still remember the first time I saw him," the queen said, rather dreamily. "I was at a party of his, wearing a mask, of course. It was costume party. He was dressed as the Hero of Time, and I a Keaton fox. We danced and danced, and the night was enhanced by wine. I found myself waking up the next morning in bed with him. I should have ended it there, but he enchanted me. He was handsome, funny, smart, and witty- or so I thought.

"I returned to him many times on the weekends. I only had one child at home, Sheik, to understand what was going on. The king noticed my absences but could do little to stop me. I was incredibly selfish. I saw that he loved me, and even though he could, he would never dream of assassinating my lover or doing anything that might hurt me. Your father is too good a man to have been hurt by me so," she said, her voice again choking back a cry. "Your father and I were fighting all the time, so when I found out that I was pregnant, I knew for certain that it was not his child. I knew who the father must be.

"It wasn't hard to hush up. I had never been a target of publicity, so no one thought about it too much. However, I was forced to appear at a couple events with your father, and the public saw my baby belly then, and the news was out that I was pregnant. But no one suspected the truth- that I was having an affair."

"How did you tell our fathers?" I asked, my voice as emotionless as a boulder.

"Our fathers?" the queen said.

"Yeah. Mine and Link's."

"The glassmaker?"

"Yes," I said, impatiently. "How did the glassmaker take it when you told him you were carrying his son?"

"I haven't explained this properly," the queen said. "It was not the glassmaker I was infatuated with. It was the rancher, the glassmaker's friend. I was never having an affair with Link's father. I would never, ever do that to my friend, his wife. The rancher was single. I can at least say that I only wrecked my own marriage.

"When I told the rancher, he was shocked. He was supportive at first, and told me we would decide what to do with the baby later. He never denied that it was his. Your father practically exploded when I told him. No matter how I pleaded, he said that he would not keep it. He did not want a lie living in his castle. He would not pretend to be the father to a child that was not his. He didn't want the baby."

"That's kind of mean," I said.

"I had just hurt him very much, and he was upset," the queen justified. "But he wouldn't back down, even after he'd calmed down some. He told me to give it to the real father, let him deal with it. I asked how we would explain it when I had given birth, but there was no baby. When I gave birth in the castle, there was only one attendant, a Sheikah who had been with me since I had been a girl. She disapproved of the plan, but she went along with it. We told everyone that it had been a stillborn. The public went on a frenzy. We kept the "funeral" limited to only a few family members, no press. The stillborn was big in the news for awhile, but it faded away.

"I remember when we took the baby, a girl, to the rancher. He lived alone, had few close friends, and the child was relatively unnoticed. If anyone asked he told him or her the truth, really. He said that he had impregnated a girl on a one-night stand, and she did not want the baby. They dropped it after that."

"So I have a sister?" I asked.

"A half-sister, yes," my mother told me. "But the story is not over just yet. Shortly after I discovered that I had become pregnant, my friend found that she also was with child. She and the glassmaker named me godmother. There was no godfather. I told the king that I was godmother and he resented it because of the glassmaker's past. He made sure that it was kept a secret. He did not want the public to know any more of my scandalous secrets. My friend wanted to give birth traditionally, at home. I warned her against this, but she went ahead with it. She died during birth, leaving the glassmaker to be the sole parent of their baby boy.

"The glassmaker needed a female influence in the boy's life. Neither of us had very good judgment at the time. His wife had just died and my marriage had been ruined. I had been forced to give up my baby. When he asked me if I would pretend to be the boy's mother, using the argument that I had already agreed to it when I agreed to be the godmother, I said yes. I would leave the castle for two weeks at a time, sometimes, to spend time as Jamie Sullivan, a normal Hylian. When I pretended to be Jamie, I would spend my time between baby Link and the rancher's daughter, Malon."

"_Malon_ is my sister?" I asked incredulously.

"Why do you think she got the job at the castle after I died?" the queen asked. "The king felt guilty by how things had turned out, and he offered a stable position. I think it was his way of making amends with the child that he had never wanted to claim. I think he felt like he had me back, in a way, by allowing Malon to come to the castle and take care of the horses. I had always loved the horses.

"So I pretended to be Link's biological mother. After the heat of the moment when his mother and died, we all cooled down a little. I realized this may have not been the best decision, but there wasn't much we could do at that point. After you lead into a lie as big as that, it's hard to get out.

"It was actually easier to keep a secret than you may think. I was good at avoiding cameras by that time, and had only taken a couple pictures with Link as he aged. There were no pictures of the queen to compare the pictures of Jamie with. I thought I was safe. Then, not long after Link and Malon had been born, I was pregnant again- this time, with you. You are the daughter of the king, a full-blooded, royal, Harkinian. I avoided the other two children when my third pregnancy began to show, and rejoined my visits after you were born. You grew up thinking I was going on business trips. No one wanted to explain to you what was going on.

"Sheik, despite what you may have heard, knew very little of what really went on. He knew that our marriage was crumbling, but he did not know anything about the affair. He believed the stillborn lie. He believed I was on business trips. What he told you, Ganondorf had told him. Sheik believed it with all his heart. Sheik never knew the truth- that Malon was his sister, and that he bore no relation to Link. He told you that to hurt you."

"So you only pretended to be Link's mother. You never actually were with the glassmaker."

"True," the queen said. "The glassmaker was never more than a friend. I think he may have been framed for treason. He was a perfect gentleman with me. He never told a lie, but for the big one."

"And Malon is my sister."

"I think you've got it figured out," the queen said, almost sadly. "I'm sorry I failed you as a mother, Zelda. But I will always love you. From the day I found out I was pregnant, I was nothing but happy to be a mother again. I just wish we had had more time together."

"So you really did die in a car accident?" I asked finally. That was what I had always been told, but as I had learned some of her secrets lately, I had started to doubt that as well.

"Yes," she said. "I really died in a car accident." There was a silence as we stared at each other, mother and daughter. "You have become a beautiful young lady," my mother whispered to me, her eyes filling up with tears and her words choking up with emotion. "I am so… proud… of my… daughter…"

I closed the distance between us and embraced my mother. She was warm, tangible, real. She cried when I touched her, and I cried, too. She began to sing to me the lullaby that she had when I was a little girl.

"I love you, Mommy," I said, releasing the words I had held in since she had died years ago. "I love you so, so much… I forgive you… You will always be my mother… I love you."

"I love you too," she said, crying.

I don't want to disclose the rest of our conversation. That basically tells you how it went. It was a very personal thing, you see. What would you tell a loved one, if they had died years ago and you got to see them one last time? We all have that thought, that lingering regret that we didn't get to say. I consider myself lucky. Not many people get the opportunity to see their dead again. When I left the spirit world soon after that, I felt whole again. The void that had been in my heart since my mother died had been filled. I knew that she was always watching me, always forgiving me, always loving me. She saw my mistakes and loved me anyway. I missed her every day and began talking to her regularly, knowing that she could, in fact, hear me.

When I went back to earth, I woke up in Link's arms. We were lying in the rubble of the turret. It appeared he had been having a spiritual experience, too. We woke up at the same time, and jumped from the rubble, laughing and crying with happiness. He picked me up and spun me around, like in the movies. He told me that my father had given him the watered down version of what my mother had told me in the Hero's Shrine, and he asked if the engagement was back on. As the victorious army of Hylians that had risen to defend the castle swarmed us, embracing us, I pulled the old engagement ring out from under my dress. I had worn it as a necklace as I had every other day since we broke up. He was surprised when he saw that I was still wearing it. All I asked him was, "Was it ever really off?"

We got married six months later, a huge wedding in the castle gardens. It seemed that all of Hyrule wanted to attend. There were all kinds of people- rich people, peasant people, middle-class people. There were lawyers, bankers, musicians, and even a glassmaker and a rancher from Kakariko Village. My father walked me up the aisle, and crying with joy, kissed my cheek before leaving me with Link. My father died of a sudden heart attack less than a month after giving his only living child away to, in his opinion, the finest soldier that Hyrule has ever seen.

I have risen as queen of Hyrule. Link is the commander of the army, and he makes quite a few of the decisions. He's working on making the peace with the other races. His goal for now is to heal what Ganondorf broke. He's creating a new way to rule Hyrule. With my approval, he has appointed the leaders of the Kokiri, Deku, Goron, and Sheikah to a board of representatives. They also have a say in any major events taking place in Hyrule. The ball that we had in honor of the Hero of Time that had taken place in the castle, with only Hylians present? Link and I changed that. It now wasn't so much a ball, but a huge celebration, taking place in one of the fields. There was no indoor place that could hold all the Gorons, Zoras, and everyone else that had RSVP'd to come.

Oh, I've forgotten the best news! Recently, we've decided that we are ready for the BEST journey together- parenthood. Link is so excited to be a father, and me a mother. We are determined to make the best of everything. We're not hoping for either a boy or a girl, but we already have a few names picked out. We debated naming the baby Ruto, after our newly appointed Castle Physician, and we probably will if it's a girl.

If it's a boy, we considered naming him after Link, but Link had a better idea in mind. He and I thought about someone who deserved the highest honor of being named after. He thought about naming him after my father or a past king, but I didn't like that idea very much. We finally came up with it together. We decided to name it after a boy who had had no choice but to give in to darkness. He had started off good and pure, but had had his childhood ripped away. He had resisted as much as he could. He had gone through the worst thing imaginable- he had been haunted by the King of Evil himself. He had been close to me. I had loved him.

If our first child turns out to be a boy, I'm sure that my brother in heaven will smile down at little Sheik.

Some people might look down on our decision to name our future son after the guy who had, after all, been the vessel that Ganondorf had used to try to bring Hyrule into his own control. But I know the truth. So does Link. We believe in love, honor, and trust. We believe that the direction Hyrule is heading into is a good one. We believe in the power of truth. We know that family is the most important thing. We know that alone we are nothing. We draw our power from the people surrounding us. We believe in all these wonderful things. We know that miracles are real. We believe in second chances and new beginnings. Do you?


End file.
